


College Daze

by orphan_account



Category: Borderlands
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, College, M/M, Pining, Slow Burn, Teacher-Student Relationship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-15
Updated: 2016-09-01
Packaged: 2018-05-26 23:29:01
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 23
Words: 73,012
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6260341
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rhys has a bit of a problem. His robotics professor is hot, smart, witty, and, most importantly, one of the best teachers he's ever had. How could he ever hope to stop falling for him?</p><p>Rated E for later chapters.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Oh no he's hot

**Author's Note:**

> Look at this generic ass AU. But God, I've been having so much fun with it. I've already got seven chapters of this puppy written out and while the chapters are shorter than what I'm comfortable with, I want to set my mind to finishing this fic. I'll be updating every few days!

Okay. So Rhys had to admit to himself that his professor was, well… _Hot_. Oh God, was he **_actually_ ** thinking that to himself? Was he actually admitting that his robotics professor was attractive? That he was _attracted_ to the older man?

 **Shit.** That’s exactly what he was actually saying. To himself, anyway. Lord knows he wouldn’t _dare_ to say anything about it out loud. Besides, it wasn’t as though it was the _first_ time Rhys had discovered he was at least somewhat attracted to one of his instructors. Junior year of high school was a dark and weird time.

Nonetheless, Mr. Lawrence, _Jack_ Lawrence, was hot. Rhys just had to accept that and move on with his life. Although when he was seeing Mr. Lawrence every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for two and a half hours at a time, that was a bit hard to _just_ accept and move on from.

The whole thought had finally dawned on him after the first week of the spring semester. That next Monday was going to be hard– hopefully not like _that_ kind of hard, for Rhys’ sake. It was going to be difficult. At least Rhys had an excuse for being able to stare; this was his professor, after all. For all Jack and his classmates knew, he was paying attention. And really, he _was_ , but there was just the added bonus of a handsome face.

Rhys was early. It was in his usual MO to be early. He liked to think he was an overachiever in that regard and he’d be damned before _ever_ taking that as a badge of shame than one of honor. The large lecture hall looked relatively empty, all the stadium style seats barren of its usual reluctant college attendees. But Rhys knew that would soon change in about ten to fifteen minutes time.

Readjusting the strap of his messenger bag, Rhys stepped past the threshold of the door, looking about the moderately large room to try and spot his teacher. A small bit of disappointment flared within his chest as he realized Mr. Lawrence was nowhere to be found. So he was _way_ too early.

Either way, Rhys had to remind himself he wasn’t coming here to get a chance at being alone with his professor. He actually liked to settle down into a quiet classroom before it got filled and work on some notes for the next chapter they were going to be covering. Yet again, _another_ of his MOs. His disappointment at being entirely alone in this room, however, was a glaring reminder of just how ridiculous he was being.

Rhys shook his head slightly, pushing all his thoughts away from himself. He mumbled under his breath how stupid he was being and just went to the nearest seat before settling within. Soon enough, he had most of his messenger bag emptied and its contents were spread onto the desk, a mechanical pencil already in his left hand and notes being sloppily jotted down.

“Well, _someone’s_ early. Again.”

The sudden familiar voice echoing through the room made Rhys jump slightly, causing one hell of a line to be dragged across his paper in the process. Rhys looked up to see his professor stepping into the room, a briefcase in one hand and the other stuffed into his dark slacks.

Somehow, after coming to the conclusion that yes, Rhys was definitely attracted to his teacher, he was even _more_ attractive than before. Mr. Lawrence’s hair had an odd quality that was somehow both messy and tamed all at once, its dark locks interrupted only by a single grey streak that was slicked back on its right side. He wore a white, button up shirt that was tucked quite professionally into his belted slacks, only a couple of buttons undone near the top. His form was slender yet filled out, definitely a firm and broad build. Rhys could feel himself swallow roughly.

“Uh, hi, Mr. Lawrence,” Rhys began, his voice wavering ever so slightly. He huffed a careful chuckle. “Yeah, I just um… Would rather be early than late. Y'know…”

Jack allowed a small smile to tug at the corner of his lips as he stepped over to his large wooden desk, “Good thing too, I’ve been meaning to talk to you about something, Rhys.”

Rhys could feel his lips purse tightly at that, apprehension and nervousness flooding through him. That could either mean something very _good_ … Or very **bad**. Rhys hoped and prayed it was something good. Something _very_ good.

“Uh, yes? Sir?” Rhys asked before the silence stretched on too long, unsure of whether he should stand or remain seated. Luckily for him, Jack settled that.

“C'mere,” Jack motioned with one of his hands as he sat his briefcase on top of his desk. “I wanna ask you something.”

Rhys hesitated only a moment before he was setting his pencil down and standing, making careful steps closer to his professor. At this point, Rhys was more curious than anything else.

As Jack stepped around the side of his desk, he gestured to Rhys’ right arm, which was fully mechanical, “I’ve noticed your arm there, Mr. Roboto. What kinda model is that?”

Rhys’ eyebrows rose in response as he brought his right arm up slightly, pulling the sleeve of his beige sweater up to reveal a black and yellow metal arm, “O-oh, uh, it’s Hyperion. You know, the _uh_ … Hyperion.”

Rhys was failing at words. He had just been taken so aback by Jack’s sudden curiosity, he didn’t know where to take the conversation. It was true, Rhys never really made a huge show of his robotic arm. In fact, he would _much_ rather not show it off than anything else. He was quite self-conscious about it, if he was being honest. So really, it wasn’t too terribly odd that his professor was just now asking about it. After all, it was only their second week in class for the semester and he was bound to notice it sooner or later.

Jack just chuckled and shook his head, “I didn’t ask for the make, Rhys. I asked what _model_ it was. Thought we went over this subject last Wednesday. Make versus model, chapter four? Last I remember you nailed the report on that.”

Rhys squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head, mentally kicking himself, “Oh! Right, right, uh, it’s the Vanadium Steel 8.1 model. I… _Think_.”

Jack crossed his arms over his broad chest, eyeing Rhys carefully, “ _You ' **think'?**_  So what, if this was a written quiz would you write in a little _‘I think’_ next to the answer?”

“No, I mean…” Rhys trailed off as he brought up his metal hand, brushing his caramel hair back nervously.

That got a laugh out of Jack, which surprised Rhys more than anything, “Hey, kiddo, calm down, I’m only messin’ with ya. Just seeing how you answer under pressure.”

“Oh,” was all Rhys could get out right then. He struggled to find his next words, his eyes lingering perhaps a moment too long on Jack’s face. There, just barely visible along Jack’s face, was quite a large scar. It was in an interesting shape, like an A without the horizontal line. But his eyes didn’t linger on it for long before he was looking away, catching one of his classmates coming into the room.

“Is that why you’re in this class?”

Rhys’ attention snapped back to his professor as he rolled down his sleeve nervously, “Not exactly, it’s not _really_ … Related.”

That just got a small hum from Jack as he nodded before saying, “Alright then, that was all, Rhys. You can get back to whatever you were doing. Maybe go over that chapter again, really drill it in your brain, huh?”

Rhys smiled slightly, “Yeah, right. Sure thing.”

And with that, Rhys returned to his seat and doubled his efforts to keep taking notes. He was doing everything he could to keep himself distracted from staring too long at Mr. Lawrence. Even throughout the class he felt like he would only make it worse on himself if he lingered on Jack’s features for too long.

There was the stray thought fluttering through his mind, surrounding the conversation he’d had about his arm. Was Jack really just trying to test him? Or was he just genuinely curious about his arm? It was such an innocuous thing to even be lingering on but there it was. Here Rhys was lingering on it. And Rhys wasn't sure he liked that. It was always something that bothered him about his arm. People would much rather know about his arm than the one that possessed the arm.

Either way, it didn’t matter. Class was over and maybe Rhys just needed to get out of that classroom to get the thoughts away from him. He packed up his things and chanced a glance over to his professor who was calling out reminders as the class filed out.

“Don’t forget, I want those reports over this chapter done by _Friday!_ No ifs, ands, **_or_ ** buts. **_Especially_ ** buts! Give me an excuse and I’ll give you a failing grade, got it?”

A few from the class mumbled out their agreement, seeming like they couldn’t get out of the room quick enough.

Jack scoffed, “Hey, hey, hey, I said **_got it?!_** ”

What was left of the class said a unified and much stronger, “ _Got it._ ”

Rhys couldn’t help but smile as he stood from his desk and began filing out behind the rest of his classmates, doing his best not to make it obvious he was trying to avoid looking back at Jack. But it seemed like he wasn’t going to get off that easily.

“And Rhys!” his professor called out, causing Rhys to turn his eyes to him once more. “Chapter four. Ingrain it in your brain, I want you knowing this shit like the back of your metal hand.”

Rhys could only nod silently before he was stepping out of the classroom and heading back to his apartment.

  
  


 


	2. Another chance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Basically, cats are assholes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I said updates would come every few days, but all your feedback was so wonderful and so, so appreciated, I figured I'd go ahead and put out the next chapter today! Again, I'd much rather have longer chapters, but the shorter chapters are actually a challenge for me as a writer. Hope ya'll enjoy!

The next week was, well... Easy enough. It seemed that Rhys was slowly starting to adjust to the idea that his professor was pretty attractive. Well, a _little_ more than pretty attractive, a **lot** attractive, but he knew there was no point in trying to allow that to fester in his mind. He simply tried to focus on _who_ his professor was more than anything else, trying to take the focus off his looks. Which, really, that was the most important part, wasn't it? He was here to learn, to get one step closer to getting his degree in robotics engineering, and to getting on with his life. And admittedly, Mr. Lawrence really knew his stuff and was _damn_ good at teaching it to boot.

So not only was he hot, he was smart. Rhys mentally kicked himself for that one, rubbing his face with his flesh hand. He really, **_really_ ** needed to stop. Especially if he wanted to make it to class on time. But that was turning out to be a much more difficult task when he couldn't even find his report for this week's chapter. He could've _sworn_ that he'd left it on his desk near his laptop. In fact, he was _one hundred percent sure_ of that. And yet, there was nothing but his laptop and a few stray papers littering the small desk.

“ _Shit, shit, **shit**_ **,** ” Rhys muttered to himself hurriedly as he began searching through each stray paper, feeling the seconds ticking by. He definitely wasn't going to be arriving early today and at this rate, he wouldn't even arrive _on time_. Rhys had learned that his professor didn't like tardiness in any capacity. Last guy that showed up just barely five minutes late to class got made an example out of by being forced to watch his homework being shredded to pieces by Jack himself. Thus he got a failing grade on that particular assignment.

Reminding himself of that little incident made Rhys double his efforts in trying to find his report, now moving to the floor in case gravity decided to steal it. And now, Rhys almost wished he _hadn't_ seen what was before him.

He found his report, alright. And it was swimming in a stagnant puddle of coffee. Rhys' face paled in horror as he quickly grabbed it, rushing over to the small bathroom within his bedroom and holding it over the sink as it dripped.

“ _No!_ No, no, come _on!_ ” Rhys whined as he shook it, trying to air it out as best he could. “What the hell?! This is so **not** fair...”

It was ruined and Rhys knew it. The words, which he'd taken the time to write in pen rather than just print (dumb mistake), were runny and completely illegible at most parts. Rhys reached over and grabbed the nearest dirty towel on the floor before attempting to dab out the rest of the liquid from the paper. This wasn't good.

“How the hell did this even happen...” Rhys mumbled absently to himself, trying to retrace his steps in how this could've even taken place. But then it dawned on him.

Out of the corner of his eye, there he spotted his white cat, Minx. Rhys looked over at her, her piercing blue eyes watching him knowingly from the entrance of the bathroom. There was no doubt in his mind _she_ knocked over his cup of coffee and his report along with it. He narrowed his eyes at her.

“Thanks, Minx,” Rhys said flatly. “Thanks a _bunch_.”

***

Rhys had just barely arrived within the lecture hall when he realized his entrance had definitely interrupted Jack in the beginning of what was no doubt his lecture. All eyes were on him and he could feel his face and ears beginning to sear red. The heat was overwhelming and he was sure that he might pass out right then and there. He slowly turned his attention to his professor as he approached, his expression a mixture of annoyance and... Well, Rhys couldn't tell. Either way, Rhys didn't like it. Jack looked as though he could devour him.

“Rhys!” Mr. Lawrence shouted suddenly, a taut grin on his lips. Without waiting for a response, he draped an arm around Rhys' shoulders, making Rhys flinch slightly as he was forced to walk to the middle of the lecture hall. “Hey there, Rhys, glad you could _finally_ make it! Hey, hey, do you happen to remember what happened to Hugo over there when he was late on Wednesday?”

Rhys looked to see Jack was pointing out Hugo within the class, everyone's eyes turning to him momentarily. He seemed to shrink in his seat and Rhys felt like he would do anything to switch places with him. At least _he_ wasn't late this time around. At least he'd _already_ gone through this... Quite frankly, it was humiliation. Especially for someone like Rhys. And if he wasn't in the middle of being reprimanded for being late, then he might've taken more notice of Jack's arm which was still clinging to his shoulders.

But alas, he didn't have the luxury right now.

“ _C'mon_ Rhys,” Jack finally spoke suddenly, snapping Rhys out of his thoughts. “And here I thought you were gonna be one of my star students. _Tsk tsk._ Did you finish your report for this chapter?”

“Yeah, uh, I did, Mr. Lawrence,” Rhys began tentatively, his arms scrunching together in an unsure motion. “But there's sorta a... _Problem_ with it.”

Removing his arm, Jack raised one of his pointed eyebrows at Rhys, “There's about to be an even _bigger_ problem with it.” Mr. Lawrence extended one of his hands out expectantly, “Hand it over. You know the drill here, cupcake.”

Well, it was already ruined thanks to Rhys' cat, wasn't it? Maybe after Jack saw its sad state he wouldn't even bother tearing it up. It seemed like Rhys did a good enough job embarrassing himself all on his own. _Nice to know._

Rhys could still feel all the eyes of his classmates on him as he dug into his messenger bag and brought out the heavily coffee stained papers. They were more brown than white at this point and they'd grown stiff after finally having dried out. Swallowing a bit roughly, Rhys handed the papers over to his professor, his eyes remaining on the ground. He didn't even want to see Jack's reaction. In fact, he was sure Jack was looking at him like he was an idiot; he could hear some of his classmates laughing quietly amongst themselves.

“ _Damn_ , what happened to these?” Mr. Lawrence asked with a hint of humor in his tone. In fact, it seemed like he was trying to stop from laughing but a few chuckles still escaped. “I mean, it looks like this thing got into a fight with a coffee machine and _lost_. Got an explanation for this one, Rhys?”

Biting his lip, Rhys could feel the heat spreading once more on his face. But he willed it down as best he could before taking a deep breath and looking back at his professor, “My cat, she knocked it off my desk and I had coffee on the desk and...” Rhys just trailed off, pursing his lips as he watched Jack for his response.

“Well, looks like I won't have to tear it up,” Jack shrugged, bringing the paper over to his desk and dropping it into the small metal trashcan. “You _already_ ruined the thing. Saves me the effort. You're still getting a zero on it. Now don't be late again, I'd much rather you be early. Got that?”

Rhys nodded quickly, “ _Got it._ ”

“Good, now go sit down so we can get on with it.”

Rhys didn't argue it. He went straight to the nearest empty seat and remained silent for the rest of the class. He couldn't bring himself to look up at Jack even as he lectured. They finished up chapter five and were moving onto the next chapter. That's all Rhys knew and that's all he _wanted_ to know and focus on right now.

***

“Have a good weekend, you bunch of nerds,” Jack teased as the class was filing out of the lecture hall. The day, _this week_ , was finally over. And Rhys _couldn't_ be happier for it.

There was a certain easiness that was upon the atmosphere as Rhys began packing up his things into his bag. Despite the rough start, Rhys had managed to lay low the rest of the class (minus a time or two Jack brought up both his and Hugo's little tardiness episodes for one reason or another), so that was definitely a relief. He tried not to think about it too much and he sure as hell _wasn't_ going to have a repeat of it either. Even though he was absolutely disappointed for getting a big fat zero in this week's report, he was sure he could live if he just made sure not to make anymore mistakes.

Still, it didn't make him feel too great.

As Rhys finally stood from his seat in one of the higher rows, he took a quick glance at his professor as he was sat on the front of his desk. And oddly enough, Jack was watching him just as he looked his way. Their eyes met momentarily, the sensation of Rhys' heart jumping in his chest causing him to look away quickly and make his way down the steps. And quickly. Perhaps a bit _too_ quickly.

Rhys felt his balance give way after a couple steps and he found his body lurching sideways. Luckily, he'd ended up catching himself on one of the seats with his mechanical hand and without missing a beat, he tried to play it off as best he could. But there was no playing _that_ one off.

“ _Easy_ there, Rhys,” Jack warned, perhaps a bit of amusement in his tone. “You're just all over the place today, aren't'cha?”

“Yeah, just _one of those days_ ,” Rhys huffed as he steadied himself once more before making his way down the rest of the steps. He wanted to get out of there. He just wanted to get back to his apartment and pretend today hadn't happened in the slightest. But it seemed like his professor wasn't quite ready to let him go just yet.

“ _Woah, woah, woah,_ hold up, speedy,” Mr. Lawrence called out, stopping Rhys in his tracks as he was halfway to the door. “Let's have a little chit chat.”

Squeezing his eyes shut, Rhys bit down on his bottom lip, worrying it between his teeth for a moment before taking a deep breath and turning to face his professor. He would just get this over with and _then_ he could pretend like today didn't happen.

“Yes, sir?” Rhys asked, finally tuning his eyes to Jack.

Moving off his desk, Jack stepped closer to Rhys, “Alright, look, I think you're a good kid, Rhys. You've got one of the highest grades in this class and I'd hate to see that change. So you had some bad luck today, _it's tough shit._ But you know what? I'm a nice guy. I'll give you another chance.”

Suddenly, Rhys could feel a small bit of weight lift from his shoulders, his eyebrows crawling up his forehead, “Wait, _really?_ ”

Jack smiled slightly as he nodded, “Really. If you write me another report and have it to me by Monday, I'll overlook today's little incident. **_But!_** Don't abuse this. I'm not gonna start handing out chances like this every time you screw up just because I like ya. No more pity points after today, understand, kiddo?”

Rhys was sure he was beaming at this point. This whole day started out pretty shit but _now_... Now it was turning out to be _so_ much better. He would sure as hell not waste this opportunity and definitely get another report done.

“You got it!” Rhys nodded happily, a grin settling on his lips. “Thank you, Mr. Lawrence. _Thank you!_ ”

Jack just gave a small chuckle as he waved away his words, “Yeah, yeah, yeah, don't get sappy on me, _just get it done._ You can still be my star student yet. And y'know what,” he paused, walking over to his desk and grabbing a sticky notepad and jotting something down on it. After a short moment, he ripped it off and offered the yellow paper out to Rhys, who took it carefully. “Why don't you just email your report to me? Avoid your cat being an asshole this time around.”

While Rhys would much rather just write out his paper, he knew Mr. Lawrence had a point on that front. It would _definitely_ be better to not have a repeat of this morning. Especially since he was getting a second chance on this entire thing. He felt his smile grow just a little bit more as he eyed Jack's email on the sticky note.

Rhys nodded, “You got it, Mr. Lawrence. Thanks again, really.”

“Sure thing, kiddo. _Don't_ make me regret it.”

 


	3. Wrong file

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rhys learns never to send emails when you're only half awake and to never take another stupid selfie for as long as he lives.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so blown away by the wonderful and encouraging reception this fic has received! Thank you all so, sooo much for your wonderful comments, kudos, and bookmarks. You guys really make my day!

The weekend had gone by _far_ too quickly for Rhys' taste. In fact, he hadn't quite realized what day it was until he opened his laptop to see it was already Sunday _evening_. And, worse, he hadn't even begun to redo his report that Mr. Lawrence had been so gracious in allowing him another chance at completing. Rhys had sworn to himself that he was going to work on it the moment he got home from class on Friday, but things out of his control came up.

Things like a water pipe bursting in this apartment complex on Friday and having to spend the rest of the day not even able to get into his apartment while they attempted to fix it. Then come Saturday, he had the wonderful task of using a hairdryer to dry out his carpet which had been flooded due to said water main bursting. Rhys could've sworn that he would be permanently hunched over for the rest of his life after that entire ordeal. Because he was _definitely_ sore.

But Rhys knew if he put his mind to it, he could get this report done before it got too late and have it sent in to Mr. Lawrence before he even got to bed. Worst case scenario, he could send it in before he went to class in the morning. One way or another, he knew he might be in for a relatively late night.

Rhys took a careful sip of his coffee, rolled his shoulders, opened a word document, and began typing away. Luckily, he remembered the most important bits of his report, but he wanted to make sure it was _perfect_ this time. Even more than last time, he wanted to get an impeccable score on this report, he wanted to impress Jack.

A small smile slowly made its way onto his features as the conversation after class on Friday rolled through his mind once more, Jack's words really lifting him up. Jack actually **_liked_ ** him, wanted him to be his best student. It caused a fluttering to flare up within Rhys' chest, the barely noticeable hint of a blush on his face.

And then he stopped.

“ _Oh my God_ , what is **_wrong_** with me?” Rhys muttered to himself as he pressed his hands against his face. The cool metal of his right hand helped to bring him back down to reality, making him realize that this shouldn't be making him as happy as it did.

Pulling his hands away, he gave himself a few light slaps on his cheek with his flesh hand, “Stupid, stupid, _stop_ it.”

This whole finding your professor hot, charming, and smart all rolled into one was getting old for Rhys. It was like he was back in high school all over again. God, he hadn't been in high school for nearly _eight_ years, this was no time to revert back to some school boy with a stupid crush. He shook his head, flexed his hands, and went back to work. He needed to get this done.

***

He'd gone over the entire paper _at least_ twice, his bleary eyes now starting to just skim over the words more than he was actually absorbing them. By the time he'd finally typed the final words on his report, it was nearly two in the morning, a yawn bidding itself to Rhys' lips as a reminder of the late hour. But he'd finally done it. He actually finished. It was a clutch finish, but it was a finish nonetheless.

“ _Okay_ ,” Rhys breathed, turning his attention to his cat on his lap. “Now you can't go spilling coffee on this report, Minx. Not today, missy. Now let's email this thing already so we can go to bed...”

Reaching down, Rhys retrieved his messenger bag, opening the dark blue bag and reaching in to retrieve the yellow sticky note. He tossed the bag over onto his nearby bed and pulled up a new email.

“Just gotta attach _this_...” Rhys mumbled to himself as he yawned deeply. “Type in the email... _Annnnd_ sent.”

Rhys watched as the email disappeared, on its way to Mr. Lawrence. Rhys raised his left arm, stretching it upward and groaning, “ _Aaaaa_ lright, Minx, looks like _I'm_ staying Mr. Lawrence's star student today. Go me, huh?”

Not a moment later, the sound of a ding filled the air, catching Rhys' attention immediately. He'd gotten an email. Could it have _already_ been Jack? Rhys' eyebrows furrowed as he leaned closer to his laptop once more.

It was definitely a reply to his email he'd sent not even a full minute ago. Jack was _still_ up and replied **_that_ ** fast?! _What the hell._

Rhys' curiosity couldn't stop him from opening it right away, seeing a simple reply that made his heart drop directly down into his stomach.

_'You might want to check that file you sent me, kiddo. I don't think that's a report on the principles of the natural and the synthetic. **Nice** picture but you won't charm me into a getting good grade ;)'_

Rhys felt his body go rigid in horror for a moment before he quickly went to his sent email to find what he'd sent on accident, his face lighting up in bright red heat as he opened the file. It was a picture of himself. A selfie, to be more specific. And this selfie was, well... It wasn't his most _modest_ selfie, either. Why oh **_why_ ** did he decide to go shirtless in this particular selfie?

Again, he brought his hands up to cover his face, muttering _'oh my God'_ over and over in a quiet yet nervous voice. He **cannot** believe he was such an idiot. Rhys wasn't even going to mentally address Jack's comment on his picture and how it was nice. Nope. He was just going to choose the right file this time, send it, and crawl into bed to stay there for probably _the rest of forever._

***

Rhys had been praying the rest of the night what happened didn't _actually_ happen. That he _didn't_ send a shirtless selfie to his robotics professor and that he **_didn't_ ** get a compliment on it from said professor. In fact, he was going to deny with every fiber of his being and live in a life of pure ignorant bliss from this point on.

God how he did not want to go to class that day. He was tired and full of embarrassment. But not going or even showing up late wasn't an option, not even close. Especially when it came to Jack. He didn't want a repeat of just what got him into this situation in the first place. He definitely didn't want that.

Rhys didn't dare bother showing up early as he usually would. Instead, he arrived with mere seconds to spare before class began, slipping into the lecture hall silently and quickly. He thanked the fact that he had quite long legs as it got him to his seat quickly and efficiently, but that didn't stop his professor from noticing him right away.

“Almost tardy _again_ , Rhys,” Jack remarked as he looked over to the clock, class now officially in session. He threw a knowing and teasing glance his way as he continued, “Late night last night?”

Rhys chuckled a bit nervously, “Yeah, _late night._ ”

Jack just laughed. Rhys was both parts completely embarrassed and **seething**. What an **_absolute_ ** ass.

***

Rhys couldn't pack up his things fast enough. He didn't want to end up being one of the last ones out yet again, he didn't want Jack to have the chance to flag him down and have any sort of chat with him. He didn't want _any_ part of it. It broke the illusion of ignorant bliss Rhys was trying so very hard to keep up.

It felt like he was moderately successful. For the most part, anyway. He was mere steps away from exiting the lecture hall before he heard exactly what he didn't want to hear right then.

“Rhys, hold up kiddo, gotta have a little chat with you.”

Rhys mentally groaned and dreaded this. It was _exactly_ why he didn't dare to show up early that day; he didn't want to have to deal with anything more Jack would have to say about his selfie. Maybe, _just maybe_... He would let it go. Rhys had to hope.

Swallowing his fears, Rhys moved out of the way of the rest of his classmates as they left the room, turning to move towards his professor.

“ _Yes_ , Mr. Lawrence...?” Rhys asked tentatively, sounding entirely unsure of himself.

Mr. Lawrence reached over to the other side of his desk and handed a couple of papers to Rhys, who was confused at first, but slowly took them anyway. He looked the first page over, realizing it was a print out of his report he'd done the night before. It was already graded and had a large red '98' written up at the top.

“Good job on that report,” Jack finally broke the silence as Rhys looked it over, a certain feeling of relief washing over him despite it all. “Now keep it up for the rest of the semester and you _might_ even be my special pick this year.”

At that, Rhys felt his eyebrows furrow somewhat as he looked up, utterly confused what the hell he even meant, “Your... Special pick? _What?_ ”

“ _Oh!_ Right, right, I haven't even told you all about it yet. Was gonna tell you and the rest of the class about it next week, but hey, you're here, might as well let you in on it, right?” Jack went on with a growing smile, his heterochromatic eyes lighting up in a passion. “So every year during the summer, there's a national contest held for teachers, _like me_ , to enter one of their students into a competition for Servo magazine. You write a theory, an article, whatever, so long as it's related to what we've studied, and you send it in. Winner gets their article published and a grand total prize of 5K towards your tuition. Sounds awesome, yeah?”

It actually _did_ sound awesome. Rhys didn't exactly read Servo, but he definitely knew about it. Being in this field, it'd be hard to not know about it. And knowing all that, Jack was actually considering choosing Rhys? Just how much promise did he _actually_ see in Rhys? Especially after Friday. _And_ last night...

“That...” Rhys trailed off pausing a moment before grinning. “Sounds really awesome! Are you really gonna pick me for that?”

His professor just gave a small laugh, “We'll see. So long as no more _'incidents'_ happen, if you catch my drift here. No more being a dum dum and I really might choose ya.”

Rhys could feel a small blush fighting to gain dominance of his cheeks. He resisted it as best he could, pushing it down as he swallowed the knot forming in his throat. He took a deep breath.

“ _About_ that picture, I uh...” Rhys brought up his metal hand, using it to scratch at the back of his head. “It was late and I was tired and-- I had a bad weekend. I didn't mean to – to send _that_.”

That got a teasing smirk from Jack, his tone equally as playful, “Picture? **_What_ ** picture?” He feigned curiosity and confusion for a moment or two before settling, “ _Ohhh_ , right, **that** picture. Heh, don't worry about it, kiddo. Mistakes happen all the time. All that matters is you got the right file to me. _Eventually_.”

This was embarrassing beyond belief, but Rhys at least felt a little better for clearing the air on it. He hoped, _at the very least_ , Jack wouldn't bring it up again. Ever. For the rest of ever. **_Ever._**

“Yeah, well, I'll uh...” Rhys started nervously, beginning to move slowly over to the door. “Get going now. See you Wednesday.”

Jack nodded, that damned smirk never leaving, “Pay better attention next time. Or don't. Doesn't matter to me.”

Just before Rhys turned to leave, he could've sworn that he saw the glimpse of a wink on Jack's face. A wink, in combination with his words, let the blush win the war. He scurried out of the room, desperate to bury himself into his bed for the rest of the day. Or, again, _the rest of forever._

 


	4. In too deep

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rhys does some questionable things in the shower and Jack pushes Rhys a little too far. Little bit of naughtiness and a little bit of violence in this chapter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy wow, I just can't even begin to thank you all for the support on this fic!! Like I'm just speechless. I hope I can continue to meet all your expectations with each new chapter!

Despite the _horrifying_ situation that started this week out, Rhys was fairly certain that the rest of the week would go by relatively smoothly. At least, that's what he was _hoping_ for. He had a lot to be happy about, after all. His grades were great, his carpet no longer squished when he walked on it, and Jack was actually considering admitting him to this contest thing. Rhys was, admittedly, a pretty competitive person and if getting picked meant he beat out his classmates, then that was a pretty big confidence and ego booster.

So now that most of the awkwardness was out of the way ( ** _most_** was the keyword here; there was still that wink that lingered at the back of his mind), he decided he would show up early this Wednesday. It wasn't like he had a specific reason _not_ to show up early this time. This next chapter was going to be one Rhys was actually excited about, an entire chapter dedicated to Hyperion robotics. For obvious reasons, he had a fondness for the company. Not only because they'd provided his robotic arm, but because he had always aspired to work there someday even _before_ the whole arm thing.

With that thought, Rhys wasted no time getting himself into the shower for the day. As he ran the fingers of his left hand through his hair, a stray and intrusive thought found its way to the forefront of his mind.

_'Pay better attention next time. Or don't. Doesn't matter to me.'_

And then the wink.

 _Holy shit_ , why was Rhys so caught up on this damn wink? It was just a stupid wink and it was literally nothing more than his professor being an ass. Which, Rhys quickly learned within the first week, was a _specialty_ of Jack's. He was an ass **just** to be an ass. But he was a hot ass. And great, now Rhys was thinking about his ass.

He really shouldn't have been surprised to feel a sudden heat pooling in his torso and traveling downward. He really, _really_ shouldn't have been surprised about this fact, but there it was. His shaft was growing harder with each second that passed, taunting him and tormenting him over the fact that he just got a boner _over his fucking teacher_. He shouldn't have been surprised. Because if he said he _was_ surprised, that would be a big fat lie.

A sudden guilt washed over him as he slowly moved to grasp onto his member, giving it a light squeeze that sent a shiver through his body at the small pleasure. This was _so_ bad. He was actually touching himself to the thought of Jack. There were a million and one excuses he could give for this behavior but he wasn't going to right now. Because fuck it. Who was going to find out?

_Absolutely no one._

Rhys replayed the wink over in his mind, capturing every angle of Jack's face in his mind's eye as he began stroking himself much more purposely. He imagined what Jack looked like under his usual layer of button-up shirts, tight slacks, and, occasionally, suit vests. He imagined Jack hovering over him, pinning him down, and letting his professor have his way with every inch of his body.

A wavering moan trickled out from Rhys' throat as the pumps along his hard length grew much more frequent. Rhys was soon sewing his eyes shut as he imagined it was _Jack's_ hand and not his. He had to brace himself against the cool tile of the bathroom wall to keep his body from turning to pure gelatin at all the thoughts that kept flooding his imagination. They were _incredible_ and for once, Rhys was completely okay with the fact that he was so attracted to Jack.

But maybe it was _more_ than that at this point. Was he _crushing_ on the older man? That seemed like a fair assumption.

Rhys paid extra attention to his swollen head, running his palm over it before dragging his fingers back down in a firm vice several times, another thought finally hitting him then. He realized that Jack had _actually_ seen him partially naked. The selfie he'd sent in a horrifying accident was now a bigger turn on than he would have ever anticipated. Jack even said it was a _nice picture_. And he acted like he wouldn't mind seeing another.

_Jack **liked** what he saw._

That was enough to send Rhys over the edge. He groaned deeply in his throat as he felt that familiar wave of an orgasm wash over him, a long and drawn out moan escaping his lips as the creamy white substance of his cum shot from his length, each spurt being quickly washed away by the rushing hot water.

Slowly, Rhys leaned back fully against the tiled wall, his breaths deep and attempting to grow steady with each inhale. The guilt from earlier seemed to come back and eat away at him as he realized what he'd just done and what it meant.

He was in this deep. _Too_ deep. Because he'd just masturbated to the thought of his professor. And loved the hell out of it.

**_Shit._ **

***

Rhys had to keep reminding himself, no one knew about what happened this morning besides himself. No one would ever know. It wasn't like everyone went around with a blaring sign detailing exactly what they'd done in their alone time. _Thank God for **that**._  Yet Rhys couldn't help but feel like maybe there were some sort of hidden cameras that caught it all and it was streamed directly to Jack's computer.

Hell, he'd sent that damn selfie to Jack without even realizing it, maybe he'd recorded this and sent it too.

Okay, now he was just being _ridiculous_ and he knew it. But that didn't stop him from feeling this sense of guilt over it. Because it was creepy, _right?_ It was definitely creepy for him to have jerked it to Jack. And he wanted to slap himself for being even _remotely_ amused by thinking  _'jacking off'_ now had an all new meaning.

Either way, he had to swallow his pride and go into that classroom. The plan was to show up early and here he was, early. Despite the risk of being alone with Jack and this morning's events fresh on his mind, he wanted to stay true to his self-made promise. Also to show Mr. Lawrence just how much he was trying to recover from the little blooper last week.

With a small breath of relief, Rhys saw that Jack wasn't in here yet. **_Yet_**. That could change at _any_ moment, Rhys knew.

“Nice and early, just what I wanna see.”

Rhys jumped, a very pathetic and high-pitched yelp escaping his mouth at the sudden voice behind him. He turned quickly, eyes wide to see his professor standing right in front of him now. _How long had he been behind him?!_

Jack just laughed, “Wow, didn't know you could make that kind of sound. That's a talent.”

Rhys wanted to tell him to shut up so, _so_ badly. But he didn't. He just cleared his throat nervously before rubbing the back of his neck, “Thanks I, uh... _Guess?_ ”

“So, gotta question for ya kiddo,” Jack went on as he stepped past Rhys, moving to set his briefcase onto his desk. “You never _did_ tell me what your bigger goals are here. What're you going for, huh?”

Slowly, Rhys turned to face Jack, the grip his metal hand had on the strap of his messenger bag growing just slightly, “Uh... _What?_ What do you mean?”

Mr. Lawrence shrugged slightly as if he were fishing for the right words, “What I mean is, basically, where's this schooling gonna take you?”

“ _Oh_ ,” Rhys said absently, pursing his lips for just a moment before continuing. “Hyperion. I want to be a robotic engineer for Hyperion.”

A smile found its way to Jack's features, “Ah, Hyperion! Good choice, Rhys. Well I bet you can barely contain your little excitement for the next chapter, then. Just don't wet yourself when we go over it, alright?”

Rhys tried to hold back a small laugh at that but couldn't. He chuckled, “Sure thing, Mr. Lawrence.”

Just as Rhys began making his way over to his usual seat, Jack stopped him once more, “Oh yeah, _one_ more thing.”

It was then that a stray thought flew into Rhys' mind, expecting in some outlandish way for Jack to mention he saw what Rhys did this morning. But that was quickly dashed away.

“You can just call me Jack,” he said coolly. “Kinda get tired of the whole Mr. Lawrence thing, y'know.”

“You got it.. _Jack_ ,” Rhys said with a smile, the name leaving his lips wanting to say it more and more. He actually wanted Rhys to call him Jack. That was... _Pretty_ awesome.

***

“And there was _one_ manufacturer that had established itself during this period when pretty much _everyone_ else was running around like friggin' chickens with their heads cut off and that manufacturer **_was_** Hyperion.”

Rhys was actually really enjoying Jack's lecture today. They went over a pretty brief history of robotics manufacturers, the rise, fall, and rise once more in modern technology. And now they were finally coming to the bulk of this chapter: _Hyperion_. Rhys had even stopped taking notes momentarily to not only admire Jack himself but the very lecture he'd been spinning. There was something so _enrapturing_ about the way Jack explained things. Rhys was sure he hadn't had a better teacher. And no, the fact that he was crushing on him had nothing to do with it.

_Mostly._

“They pulled ahead because _offff_...” Jack drew out, bringing his arms out to each his sides and looking about the class. “ _C'mon_ kiddos, we touched on this in chapter four, makes and models. What brought Hyperion to the forefront? ... _Anyone?_ Don't be losers, guys. Come on. Gimme an answer.”

“Vanadium?” Rhys felt the answer come from his mouth without so much as permission from him. It just tumbled out and he realized a moment too late before some of the class looked his way. He pursed his lips tightly.

“Rhys, _my man!_ ” Jack gave him finger guns before backing up to the whiteboard and writing in big sloppy letters _'vanadium'_. “Vanadium! Ding, ding, ding! Way to go, Rhys, you really _did_ ingrain that stuff in your brain. Then again, I guess your _arm_ could have something to do with that, _ya cheater._ ”

A few of the class giggled quietly, making Rhys grow even more embarrassed than before. _God_ , how he wished he hadn't brought up his arm. As inconspicuously as he could, he slipped his right arm into the pocket of his yellow hoodie, trying to hide it as best he could. He prayed Jack wouldn't keep going on about it. Rhys seemed to completely forgo the fact that Jack might want to bring special attention to his arm this chapter. What with his arm having been made by Hyperion and out of their trademark metal.

He can't believe that he overlooked that little detail. _Shit, shit, **shit**._ Was his face red? _Probably_.

“C'mon, Rhys, go ahead, show everyone your arm,” Jack encouraged with a smile, making Rhys' worst thoughts at that moment come true.

Rhys just sat there, frozen, feeling as though he needed to wake up. This was a bad dream, a _very_ bad dream, it wasn't happening. He didn't want everyone looking at his arm, sometimes even _he_ didn't want to look at his arm. So there he remained, feeling all eyes on him and the pressure surmounting.

“ _Yo_ , Rhys, _hello?_ ” Jack tried to get his attention back, the class now extremely quiet much to Rhys' displeasure. He only moved closer. “You paying attention? I said show them your arm.”

Rhys' eyes were studying his desk, looking for some sort of escape route through it. But it just wasn't happening. Finally, Rhys found his voice as he murmured, “No.”

“ _No?_ ” Jack asked, perhaps even sounding a bit incredulous. “What? _Why!_ Everyone wants to see it, c'mon kiddo. Up up.”

“ _No_ ,” Rhys said a bit stronger than before, feeling his throat constricting in that moment. “Just no.”

“Show them your _friggin'_ arm!” Jack demanded frustratedly as he reached forward and pulled Rhys' right arm up and out of the pocket of his hoodie. Immediately, Rhys jerked his hand forward, unintentionally ramming the metal into Jack's cheek. Jack hissed and quickly let go of Rhys' metallic arm, stepping back slightly.

The class went into a vacuum of silence, it didn't seem like anyone was _breathing_. Even Rhys felt like his own breathing had stopped as he realized what he'd done. A red mark was quickly forming on Jack's left cheek from the punch and that was enough for Rhys.

Without a word, he gathered his things and stormed out of the classroom, a mixture of emotions stewing within Rhys at that moment. Rhys was sure that Jack had tried to stop him but it all seemed to be muted out, nothing seemed to be real in that moment.

Rhys was angry, Rhys was embarrassed, and, most of all, Rhys was _worried_. It all got out of hand and escalated so quickly. And he didn't even know where to begin fixing the situation.

 


	5. Apologies and burdens

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's hard to tell when Jack is being sincere or not, but Rhys feels like maybe, just maybe, he's trying for once.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, I'm so, soooo fortunate to have such enthusiastic readers like you guys, thank you all so much!!

How the _hell_ could things get any worse than this? Rhys wasn't sure. In fact, Rhys just wasn't sure about anything right now. He'd come home, took off his _stupid_ Hyperion-manufactured arm, and laid down in his bed. And that's where he'd been for the past couple hours. He hadn't even realized it'd been two full hours until he finally brought his phone up to glance at the time.

 _What was he going to do?_ Not _only_ did he punch Jack in the face but he left class early without a single word. Shit, if Jack hated tardiness then he sure as hell wouldn't like him leaving early. But then again, was he **really** the offender in this entire situation? Jack tried to force him, _physically force him_ , to show off his arm when he clearly already said no. He just wished that Jack had dropped it the moment he told him no. In fact, he was _really_ curious why he _didn't_ just drop it.

Dragging the hood of his hoodie up onto his head, Rhys turned onto his left side, cradling his head on his left hand. He almost just wanted to drop out altogether after this, so maybe it _would_ be best if Jack just failed him. But why did that make him so... _Sad?_

Rhys could feel tears beginning to well up within his eyes as he curled his legs further into himself and tried to forget about everything. Absolutely everything. The anger, humiliation, regret... _Especially_ the fact that he had a stupid artificial arm and that's all anyone would ever notice about him anymore. A few tears of frustration slipped through as he screwed his eyes shut.

In less than ten minutes, he was drifting off to sleep.

***

The sound of his phone going off in a shrill and high beep shook Rhys from his restless sleep. He felt groggy and like his eyes were on fire. He'd fallen asleep with tears still trapped in his eyelids and he was paying for it now. He quickly wiped his bleary, red eyes, sitting up and grabbing his phone.

Unlocking it, he stared blankly at an email alert from none other than Jack. Somehow he was actually surprised. Yet, after today, he really shouldn't have been. Maybe this was the email telling him he failed him or if he was even expelled for punching him. Taking a deep breath, Rhys opened the email and read it over carefully.

_'Rhys,_

_We need to talk about happened today. All I will say is you aren't in trouble. I have a lot to apologize for. Reply back soon._

_-Jack.'_

Rhys didn't know whether he was happy about the fact that he wasn't in trouble or not. On one hand, he was glad that he wasn't getting blamed for this. But on the other... He needed to talk to Jack. And if it involved anything more than talking through emails, Rhys wasn't sure he wanted to deal with it right now. But he would at least see what Jack had to say.

Sighing, Rhys responded:

_'I said no and you kept pushing me. Why?'_

After a moment of hesitation, Rhys hit send. He wasn't sure if he was being too direct or not but, admittedly, Rhys was still angry over it all. Jack _shouldn't_ have done what he did and the fact that he did... It made him frustrated all over again.

Rolling off the bed, Rhys pocketed his phone in his hoodie and made his way to the kitchen in his apartment, feeling quite hungry. He hadn't noticed right away, but it was already dark outside. He must've slept much longer than he thought. Which was fine, it wasn't like he had any homework he knew of anyway.

Rhys wasted no time in making himself a bowl of cereal, not realizing how weird it was to not use his other arm for once. He used to refuse wearing it when he'd first gotten it back in high school after the accident, so it was definitely strange. But if he wore it, he felt like it would only be a physical reminder of what happened earlier. He'd take this handicap over those reminders anyway.

Soon, his phone buzzed and dinged, another email in his inbox. It was Jack. He opened it without waiting this time.

_'Honestly? I don't know why. I was in the moment and your arm just fit the lesson so well. I should've asked you ahead of time but I figured you wouldn't mind. I'll make this up to you.'_

Rhys felt his eyebrows furrow as he read the message over several more times, trying to find any sort of hidden meaning behind it or any kind of deception. But it somehow sounded very... _Sincere_. Rhys pursed his lips as he typed out a reply.

_'Yeah, asking ahead of time would've been nice. You know what they say about assuming... So is that your apology? Kind of lame. I told you no and you kept pushing it.'_

What else could Rhys say? He was still, understandably, upset about it.

Just as he settled onto the loveseat couch within his living room, his phone buzzed once more, this reply much faster than before.

_'Look, kiddo, I promise I'll make it up to you. And I am sorry, okay? Won't happen again. See you in class on Friday?'_

Yeah, Rhys was sure it _wouldn't_ happen again. Because until he was sure Jack would actually see him as a _person_ and not just someone with an impressive Hyperion arm, he wasn't even going to bother putting the damn metal thing back on. He could get used to not having it anyway.

_'Fine. See you on Friday.'_

***

Friday came much quicker than Rhys would've liked. In fact, he wished there had been an impromptu full week before Friday rolled around. He needed more time to not be so upset about the whole thing. And he was sure seeing Jack would just bring it all back.

Then again, maybe he just needed to get over it. Jack apologized and promised he'd make it up to him. _Whatever that meant._ He wasn't sure when it came to his professor. Mr. Jack Lawrence wasn't the easiest man to read, after all. Maybe that's what made him an effective teacher in that sense. He kept everybody on their toes and always did something new. Including being punched in the face by someone he claimed was his star student.

_What a mess._

As Rhys settled into his seat that Friday morning, Jack was already seated at his desk, sipping coffee from a dark mug and going over some papers in front of him. There were two distinct differences about Jack today. Well, three, actually. One, he was wearing glasses for the first time in over a week. Two, there was quite the visible bruise on his cheek that was only interrupted by the faint silvery scar on his face. And three, he didn't even acknowledge Rhys as he came into the classroom.

It felt a little odd and made Rhys shift a bit uncomfortably in his seat. Not that he really, _really_ minded, he told himself. Maybe he was just trying to make this whole process easier.

Soon, students had begun to file into the room, their eyes glancing to Rhys more often than he would've liked. He knew what they were all thinking. _He_ was the guy that punched Mr. Lawrence in the face. But maybe they weren't thinking that. Maybe they were pitying him because they all saw how Jack tried to force him to do something he didn't want. Either way, Rhys tried to ignore them.

Moments after the class began, Jack started lecturing as usual, going on about Hyperion, their origins, and where they stood in today's economy and how they were pushing forward humanity in ways no one dreamed possible before. It really _was_ a good lecture and Rhys allowed himself to fall into the rhythm of it. Listen, take notes, follow in his book, nothing out of the ordinary.

And that was perhaps the most interesting thing. Jack was acting like it hadn't happened. Other than only taking small glances Rhys' direction every so often, he was doing nothing out of the ordinary. Rhys was sure he saw Jack's eyes flicker over his right side, noting the flat sleeve of his hoodie that he'd folded up in that arm's absence. But even if he did notice, he didn't say anything about it during class.

Finally, class was over and Jack was giving out his usual end-of-class spiel, “I was nice to you guys this week so that means next week will be extra tough! Get those essay-writing skills ready. Got a **_big_ ** announcement on Monday too, so be here _orrrrr_ get a zero for that day. Your choice!”

Rhys felt... Torn. Part of him just wanted to up and leave before Jack got the chance to stop him but another wanted to linger and ask Jack just what he was going to do to make it up to him. But it seemed that he didn't have to sit on the dilemma for long.

“Hey, kiddo,” Jack said carefully, looking over at Rhys as he leaned on his desk. “C'mere, let's talk.”

A few of the lingering classmates watched as Rhys stood from his desk, bringing his messenger bag over his head and resting it on his right shoulder. He could feel Jack's green and blue eyes on him as he approached slowly, being sure to stop a short distance between them.

Jack crossed his arms, taking a deep breath and shaking his head before he finally spoke, “You're not wearing your arm?”

“Didn't want to give you the temptation,” Rhys responded, perhaps a bit too harshly.

Jack raised his pointed eyebrows, “Oh. Okay. Fair enough. You know I'm sorry, right?”

Rhys averted his eyes somewhat as he opted to study the ground, “So you said. Doesn't excuse what you did.”

“Yeah, yeah, you're right, it doesn't,” Jack admitted frankly. “But hey, look, I said I'd make it up to you. And I meant that. You free tomorrow?”

That certainly got Rhys' attention to fall back to Jack, his eyebrows knitting together in curiosity, “Yeah, but I mean... _Why?_ ”

Jack just teased a knowing smile on his features, “Don't wanna spoil the surprise but you feel up for a field trip? I promise, you're gonna _love_ it.”

Despite all the lingering feelings of frustration towards Jack, just the way he spoke about this was actually making Rhys... _Excited?_ He was actually going to be meeting up with Jack outside of this classroom and that was both weird and exhilarating all at once. _Maybe_ this wouldn't be so bad after all.

Rhys felt a small smile tug momentarily at the corner of his lips before he nodded, “Alright then. I guess I could go... _Wherever_ it is you'd be taking me.”

That got a warmer smile out of Jack, “Perfect. I'll email you the details later today.”

And with that, Rhys said his goodbyes and left the lecture hall. He could only hope that whatever it was that Jack had planned would be enough to help him get past whatever the hell happened the other day. And, if he had to admit it to himself, he was honestly excited.

 


	6. On a trip

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack gives an opportunity to Rhys he never dreamed possible but he misses another opportunity in the process.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did I mention how much I love you guys? Because I love you guys. A lot. It's been quite a while since I've been this motivated to see a fic all the way through. That's all thanks to you guys! Thank you all so much! Hope you enjoy this chapter!

Butterflies. That was the first thing that Rhys felt that Saturday as he rolled over in bed, his eyes slowly adjusting to the sunlight streaming into his bedroom. He was _actually_ excited about today. Right after he'd gotten home from class the day before, there was an email waiting for him as he logged onto his laptop, obviously from Jack.

_'Meet me at the campus library tomorrow at 1 pm. Sharp. Don't want to be late again, now do you? ;)'_

Who would've known that Jack, _of all people_ , was the type to unironically use stupid smileys. Hell, even Rhys didn't do that shit. But he had to admit, it was _kind_ of endearing. In its own interesting way.

Rhys could tell that Jack was trying to do his best to make Rhys feel good about today. Even though he had _no_ idea whatsoever where the hell they were even going. Surely the library wasn't where the surprise was. But then it dawned on him. Would he be getting into a car with Jack? _**His** car?_

 _Oh shit._ Now Rhys felt nervous beyond all belief. It somehow _just now_ occurred to him what this all meant. He'd been so focused on the point of this entire trip – that Jack was making up for his mistake earlier that week – that he didn't consider the bigger implications. Was this a _date?_

Rhys could feel a small blush begging to let itself come to life. Rhys allowed it, knowing no one would see it anyway, and just got on with getting up from the bed. He got himself dressed, grabbing a plain t-shirt before stopping and considering. His attention moved over to his mechanical arm on the floor nearby his bed, which he still hadn't bothered putting back on ever since that day, and he wondered if maybe, just maybe, he should wear it today. He didn't _want_ to be afraid of wearing it anymore. He wanted, more than _anything_ , to wear it, use it, and feel okay and confident about it.

But maybe today just wasn't that day. Not yet. So he slipped on the shirt before grabbing his nearby dark blue jacket and shrugging it on, rolling up the empty sleeve with a little difficulty. Rhys glanced at the clock on his phone and realized that he needed to leave now if he was going to make it on time. As Jack said, one o'clock. _Sharp_.

***

The walk took only about fifteen minutes, but it felt much longer. The atmosphere was much colder than usual, a very crisp yet dreary and cloudy spring day. It honestly looked as though it could start raining at any moment. Rhys hoped it wouldn't, _prayed_ even. He never was much of a fan of cold rain. Or just rain in general.

Thankfully, he'd reached the library only a minute or two before it started to drizzle lightly. So much for hoping it wouldn't rain. But now he was here and... Where was Jack? He looked around as he stood under the awning at the entrance of the large library, looking for any sign of the older man. Did he want him to meet him inside..? He brought his phone out, checking to see that he was actually a minute early, even.

Several minutes passed and there was _still_ no sign of Jack. Rhys was beginning to think that maybe he wasn't coming. There were a few moments he actually debated sending an email Jack's way, more than just a _little_ disappointed if he didn't show up for one reason or another. Because now the rain was coming down in a steady stream. It wasn't hard, by _any_ means, but that didn't mean it was pleasant. Rhys didn't want to walk back in that. Nor did he want to be stranded at the library until it decided to pass.

Just as Rhys pulled out his phone once more to send an email Jack's way, a faded black Camaro pulled up in the parking lot, coming to a stop before where Rhys stood. Slowly, the window rolled down and Rhys instantly spotted Jack as he leaned over the passenger seat.

“Hey there, nerd, have fun at the library?”

Rhys pursed his lips, refusing to even be slightly amused by that jab. He knew Jack was just trying to get a rise out of him and it was _almost_ working before Jack spoke once more, “Alright, alright, _sour puss_ , c'mon, get in already.”

Hesitating only a moment, Rhys stepped forward and opened the car door before sliding into the vehicle, honestly a bit taken aback at how nice it was. It wasn't the newest car, but it wasn't old either. It somehow really suited Jack; the car just screamed _'I'm owned by Jack Lawrence, isn't he an ass?'_. The window quickly rolled back up.

“So you tell _me_ not to be late,” Rhys began as they drove off, reaching across himself to grab the seat belt and buckle himself in. “But _you're_ late instead. Nice double standards, Jack.”

Jack scoffed as he flicked his blinker on before turning out of the parking lot, “It was a _joke_ , cupcake. Don't get too hung up on it.”

“A joke, sure,” Rhys said with rolled eyes. “So _where_ are we even going?”

“I don't like to spoil surprises,” Jack teased, tossing a small grin Rhys' way. They were actually heading out of their city of Helios and somewhere more north. Rhys had really no idea where to even begin guessing.

“You're not kidnapping me, right?” Rhys asked jokingly.

That got a laugh out of Jack as he turned onto the highway, “Hey, maybe I am.”

Okay, Rhys knew Jack was joking, but there was some strange part of him that actually enjoyed the idea of that. Being kidnapped by Jack, having no choice but to stay with Jack, having no where to go but this car or, hell, _his house_. And damn, Rhys would just _let_ that happen.

God, Rhys needed to **stop**. He berated himself silently, turning his attention out the window to watch the rain rushing past the window. For all Rhys knew, this could just be something related to their class. Maybe it was about that Servo contest. That could definitely be it. _Maybe_.

“What about a hint?” Rhys continued to prod as Jack changed a lane, getting into the next exit lane.

“A hint, huh?” his professor mused with a low hum, considering this for a few moments before settling. “ _Nah_. That's no fun.”

Rhys snorted, “Then _your_ definition of fun and _mine_ are **very** different things.”

“Oh, I have a very good definition of fun, trust me,” Jack smirked slyly, eyeing Rhys as he did so.

“ _I bet_ ,” Rhys found himself murmuring, trying his hardest to ignore Jack. _Trying_.

It was really truly odd. For once, they no longer felt like teacher and student. They felt like just a couple of guys going, well... Somewhere. Like they were friends, even. Would that be something fair to consider? That they were friends? Rhys honestly wasn't sure. He wasn't sure about a lot of things right now. But one thing he did know for sure was that he was enjoying this trip already.

More and more, he could feel like he was moving on from the incident and that was making it easier to accept that maybe Jack really _hadn't_ meant to do what he did. After all, Rhys hadn't even told him that he was so self-conscious about his mechanical arm so really, could he blame him? Maybe he just thought Rhys was being stubborn and not because he had such a crippling confidence issue.

“Hey Jack,” Rhys began quietly as they came to a stoplight, the red light halting them for the moment. Jack turned his attention over to Rhys, one of his hands on the top of the wheel, the other resting on the knob that switched gears in between the two seats. “I probably should've said so sooner, but I uh...”

Trailing off, Rhys turned his head forward, his eyes scanning the red light as it was interrupted by the windshield wipers every few seconds. He took a careful breath before continuing, “I didn't want to show off my arm because I'm really, well... I'm really self-conscious about it. I've never liked it...”

“ _What?_ ” came Jack's surprised response. The light finally turned green and Jack pushed the car forward, glancing at Rhys every chance he could. “What do you mean you're _'self-conscious'_ about it?”

Now Rhys slightly wished he hadn't brought it up. He _really_ didn't want to have to explain that he just wanted a normal arm again. That he felt like more of an object to marvel at than a person with an arm like that. That he wished he could go back and stop the dumbass decision that made him lose his arm in the first place. So he wouldn't.

“I just am, _okay?_ ” Rhys said, perhaps a bit more defensively than he'd intended, glancing at Jack for just a moment before returning his gaze out the window. “I just wanted you to know that.”

The atmosphere between the two men grew quiet then, only the hum of the engine filling the air. Not that Rhys minded, he'd much rather it be quiet than have Jack continue pestering him about it. But maybe Jack understood, in some capacity. He could only hope so. Because it was the first time he'd admitted that to someone since he was in high school.

***

“Holy shit, _are you **kidding** me?!_ ”

Rhys felt like his eyes were constantly glued to the large yellow and black building before them. It only seemed to get bigger the closer they got and there was no doubt in Rhys' mind that this was _much_ more of a surprise than he ever could have anticipated.

“Think if I was kidding I would've drove us all the way out here?” Jack asked rhetorically, amusement clear in his tone. “I've got a little someone for you to meet, kiddo.”

Rhys' eyebrows rose somewhat as they pulled into a parking spot, “Wait, you _know_ someone that works here?”

As the car's engine died, Jack just shrugged, hints of smugness in the action and his words, “Think I'd be a professor about robotics and _not_ have a background in it? **Ouch**. Give me a little more credit here, Rhysie.”

Before Rhys could even begin responding, Jack was opening his door and stepping out. He wasn't sure what stumped him more in that moment. The fact that Jack had once worked with Hyperion in some capacity or the fact that he'd just called him Rhysie. It was really dumb just how much that made Rhys' heart flutter and jump up into his throat as he replayed the nickname in his head.

Rhysie. _Rhysie_. **_Rhysie_**.

Okay, he liked that more than he should've. Shaking his head, he pulled himself back to reality as he reached over and opened the passenger door before sliding out of the seat. Luckily, the rain had minimized down to a light drizzle once more, making the trip into the large industrial building not as urgent as it would've been otherwise. Still, Rhys could feel his stomach doing flips as he realized where they were heading.

“So are you saying you _actually_ worked here?” Rhys asked, unable to keep his curiosity contained as they approached the building.

Jack gave a quick nod Rhys' way, “Worked here for about ten years. Did some programming then made my way up to head of model-based design, even.”

“But you quit to teach?”

“ _Jesus_ , you're full of questions today,” Jack chuckled as they reached the door, Jack grabbing at the silver handle of the glass door before pulling it open. “ _Yes_ , I quit to teach about five years ago. There ya go, my life in a nutshell.”

As Rhys stepped past the open door, immediately his eyes were bombarded with incredible architecture. It was only to be expected with such an advanced company as Hyperion. All the walls and floors were lined with an opaque chrome metal, the spacious entrance only interrupted by a large and intricate water fountain right in the middle. The fountain looked to be run by a multitude of visibly turning cogs and its entire structure looked as solid as it did ornate.

“Try not to drool on yourself there,” Jack finally spoke, bringing Rhys out of his admiring. “C'mon, we don't have much time.”

Rhys watched as Jack moved past him, leading the way past the fountain and towards a hallway that branched out from the main reception room. Taking one last look at the large fountain, Rhys followed silently, trailing behind Jack at a comfortable distance. But he was confused still. He was taking Rhys here to see someone? But what about?

Questions burned on his tongue but he figured that maybe he should hold onto them, knowing that he'd _already_ asked so many questions as it was. He didn't want to be too excessive with the inquiries and somehow end up annoying Jack. That was **definitely** the last thing he wanted. Besides, he was just amazed he was in this building to begin with.

So was Jack doing a good job of making it up to him? Already, yeah. But Rhys had a feeling whatever was coming would be the cherry on top.

One elevator ride later, they'd arrived on the fifteenth floor, stepping out and ending up in a long hallway of black doors. At the very end of the hall there was one door in particular that looked different from the rest; it looked much more important, a few yellow stripes running down it vertically. It seemed Jack was headed directly towards it and Rhys felt his nervousness and apprehension beginning to build as they grew closer. And Rhys wasn't entirely sure why he was feeling so nervous as he was.

Jack claimed that he'd been the head of model-based design here at Hyperion; that seemed like a _pretty_ important title to hold. So that could only mean Jack knew some pretty important people here... _Right?_

Before Rhys could ponder it any further, Jack gave a few knocks onto the door at the end of the hall, calling out, “Hey, Nakayama, it's Jack. Open up, ya crazy bastard.”

Rhys felt himself jump slightly as a voice crackled to life from a small speaker beside the door moments later, “ _Jackie!_ You're earlier than I anticipated! Door's open, come in, come in.”

Without missing a beat, Jack opened the door and stepped within, Rhys following behind only a moment later. Beyond the door was a quite expansive office, a large black desk in the middle of the chrome room and a thin yet wiry man was seated behind it. He was heavily balding but had quite the beard on him, a Hyperion lab coat clinging to his thin form as he stood from his seat and approached Jack.

“God, Nakayama, how many times do I need to tell you to _stop_ calling me Jackie? That's just embarrassing,” Jack muttered as the other man reached out to grab at Jack's hand, giving it a firm shake.

“Sorry, sorry, Jack, it's just been _so_ long!” This Nakayama seemed to be practically beaming at Jack, looking at him as though he held all the answers in the universe. “Like I said, you're a bit earlier than I thought you would be! I would have just met you at the reception had I known you were already here!”

Jack just waved him off as he pulled his hand back to himself, “Yeah, well, little late for that.”

Soon, Nakayama's eyes turned to Rhys, eyeing him with curiosity in his gaze, “And is _this_ your student you've told me about?”

“That's right,” Jack began, moving to drape one of his arms around Rhys' shoulders, causing Rhys to tense up slightly at the contact. “This, _right here_ , is Rhys. Good kid, great student. Rhys, this is the head robotics engineer here at Hyperion, Nakayama.”

Rhys was taken aback, to say the least. It was almost too much to take in in that moment. Not only had Jack just complimented him but he was meeting with the _head robotics engineer_. At **_Hyperion_**. Okay, so Jack had _definitely_ made things up to him. Rhys mentally settled that right here and now.

“Rhys! _Brilliant_ to meet you,” Nakayama exclaimed, extending out his left hand to shake. Rhys hesitated a moment before he brought out his left hand, giving the other man's hand a firm shake. “Jack's told me good things about you. He's mentioned you want to work here some day, yes?”

“ _Yes!_ ” Rhys answered immediately as he pulled his hand back to himself. He tried not to grin too much, but he wasn't sure he was very successful. “More than _anything_.”

“Well then! A personal recommendation from Jack is definitely something we can't ignore! Why don't we settle in and chat for a bit. Would either of you like some coffee? Tea, perhaps?”

***

Over the moon would just _barely_ scratch the surface of describing Rhys' mood right then. The past hour was something Rhys had only dreamed of before. Getting to speak about job opportunities within Hyperion once he finished schooling with one of Hyperion's own engineers (the **_head_ ** engineer, at that) was more than he could've ever asked for. And Rhys knew that Jack made it all possible.

Rhys wasn't sure he'd ever be able to thank Jack enough for what he'd done. Although it took something kind of shitty to get to this point, Rhys was grateful nonetheless. He'd spent most of the car ride back just gushing over how excited he was about the entire situation. He was sure that he'd thanked Jack probably _far_ too many times, but it seemed that Jack didn't mind. In fact, Jack seemed just as pleased as Rhys did. Either that or maybe he was just far too amused to argue.

“Alright, _alright_ , Rhys, don't bust a gut,” Jack teased as they pulled into the parking lot of Rhys' apartment complex. Slowly, the car came to a stop as Jack put it into park, looking up at the slightly run down building.

“ _Nice_ place,” Jack commented absently, the sarcasm a bit too thick for Rhys' liking.

Rhys just scoffed, “It fits the broke college student aesthetic, alright? Don't knock my apartment.”

Jack laughed, “ _Easy_ , cupcake. Just giving you a hard time.”

Rhys felt himself fidget slightly in his seat, realizing then that their little day together was already at its end. Jack was probably _dying_ to get him out of his car and really, Rhys couldn't blame him. He'd practically gone on and on the rest of the drive back and even he felt a little annoyed at himself. But he couldn't help it.

“Really though Jack, I know I've said it a million times, but _thank you_ ,” Rhys finally started, turning his attention over to Jack as he removed his seat belt. “That was more than I could've asked for.”

“So we're good?” Jack asked nearly right away, eyeing Rhys carefully.

A silence passed within the car before Rhys was nodding, a small smile playing at his lips, “We're good. Hard _not_ to be after that.”

That got Jack to smile back in response, silence consuming the atmosphere once more. Rhys took this as his cue to get out of the car, his left hand reaching over to the handle of the door and grasping at it.

“Wait, Rhys,” Jack said suddenly, stopping Rhys before he tugged at the door handle.

Pausing, Rhys turned his attention back to his professor, watching him curiously and intently. Jack seemed to struggle with the words he wanted to say as he took a slow breath. Again, butterflies began to present themselves in Rhys' stomach, something about the moment spurring nervousness to rise. The silence dragged for only a moment or two longer.

“Y'know, when you told me earlier that you're self-conscious about your arm, I actually _kinda_ understand,” Jack admitted slowly, his voice sincere and quiet as his eyes averted to the side. “I'm sure you've noticed this _scar_. On my face.”

Hesitating, Jack brought up one of his hands, a finger of his absently brushing along the silvery skin, “I'm not a fan of this scar and **really** don't like it when people point it out. It's a really shitty feeling. So, uh... Guess what I'm trying to say is, I know how you feel. About the whole self-conscious thing. Or.. _something_ like that.”

Rhys could feel his lips part in slight surprise at Jack's sudden honesty and openness. It was absolutely the last thing he'd expected out of his teacher. Jack always seemed like such a confident and overbearing man, he couldn't have even _guessed_ that Jack felt that way about his scar. Sure, Rhys had noticed it, but he actually liked the way it looked. He thought it added to his overall appeal.

Once again, silence decided to settle itself between the two as Rhys considered his next words carefully, honestly unsure what to even say. But he knew he couldn't just say _nothing_. Jack was opening up to him about this and that was hard to just ignore.

Then Rhys got an idea. Maybe it wasn't a good one, but he wasn't sure he cared much in that moment. Slowly, Rhys turned his body to face Jack more properly, bringing up his left hand and moving it closer to Jack's face. Jack just turned his eyes back to Rhys, watching him cautiously but curiously, not moving even as Rhys grew inches away from his face.

And then, his fingertips were brushing along Jack's right cheek where the scar began and traveled up near the side of his prominent nose. The moment felt tense yet it quickly eased up as Rhys dragged his index finger along the silvery skin, careful and tentative in the motion.

“How did it happen?” Rhys asked absently before the silence became too long.

“Another story for another time,” Jack responded, sounding perhaps a bit guarded in his tone.

Alright, so it was obvious Jack _wasn't_ willing to open up that much. But still, the fact that he'd opened up at all and was letting him even touch his face like this... Rhys didn't even know where to begin on how amazing it all was.

Yet again, both men grew silent, Rhys' fingers still lingering on Jack's face, not wanting this moment to end. He wanted it to go on forever. Or, at the very least, a little longer. And maybe, _just_ maybe, Rhys _could_ make it last.

Rhys could feel himself moving forward slightly and distantly, he was aware that Jack was moving closer too. The air felt tense, Rhys was sure that he'd stopped breathing long ago. Maybe this whole day had just been a dream. In fact, Rhys was waiting for the moment to come when he would finally open his eyes and be right back in his bedroom, disappointed and filled with regret that all of this hadn't actually happened.

But there was no waking up. This was actually happening. Rhys could feel himself growing closer to Jack's face, the distance between the two nearly nonexistant. Just a little more and...

Rhys suddenly stopped. This wasn't good. Jack was his professor, _his bloody professor_. This **couldn't** be happening. As much as Rhys wanted it to happen, God he wanted it so badly, it just couldn't. In his frozen movement, Jack stopped moving as well and they both watched each other for a split second that felt like it lasted an eternity. This couldn't happen.

Pulling away with difficulty, Rhys brought his hand back to himself, “I'll uh... Just go now. Thanks again, Jack. See you Monday.”

Not a moment passed before Rhys was opening the door and sliding out of the car. Rhys was sure that he heard Jack calling after him, to make him stop and come back for whatever reason, but he paid it no mind. He _couldn't_ go back there because if he did, he was sure there would be no willpower left within him to stop him from making a bad decision.

 


	7. How smooth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Apparently Jack hates emails and Rhys is okay with that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Much shorter chapter than the previous one, but I hope you guys still enjoy it nonetheless! Thank you all so much for reading! c:

How the hell did this even happen? That was a question that kept weighing on Rhys' mind the rest of the weekend. And, _once more_ , there the question was again that Monday morning. It was a question that had an elusive answer. Once Rhys started to grasp some kind of explanation, it ran away from him with more consideration on it all. He was starting to wonder if this was karma for having masturbated to Jack in the first place.

Rhys could feel a groggy groan rumble his still-sleepy throat as he looked at the time on his phone. He needed to get up and go to class but _**God** _ he just really, _really_ didn't want to. Could he pretend to be sick? Then again, with how apprehensive and nervous he was about seeing Jack again, he might as well have been sick from the anxiety of it all, no pretending necessary.

After what happened, things were _bound_ to be awkward. There was no avoiding that. And as much as Rhys _didn't_ want to get out of this bed today, he knew it would be better to just face the music and get it over with. He needed this class, whether he liked it or not. Besides, bailing after what Jack had done for him wouldn't be the best way to show his appreciation.

 _Suck it up, Rhys,_ he thought to himself as he sat up, blinking through bleary eyes to see Minx curled up into a little white ball between his legs. A small, absent smile pulled at the corner of his lips as he brought his left hand forward, swiping his fingers gently over her fur.

“I almost kissed my professor, Minx,” Rhys murmured absently as Minx looked up at him, a low purring in her throat. “How _stupid_ is that?”

***

For the first time in what felt like forever, Rhys actually decided to put his arm back on. He'd actually forgotten how much he missed having the use of his other arm. Not that it changed his stance on the whole artificial arm thing. He was sure _that_ would never change. But it was oddly good to have it back nonetheless.

Rhys wasn't as early as he would usually be on any given day, but he was still there before the bulk of his class. Strangely though, Jack was nowhere to be seen. In fact, the entire class showed up long before Jack ever strolled into the classroom, giving out half-assed apologies and excuses of traffic. Nearly ten minutes into class and he was _just now_ showing up. That was _definitely_ not something Jack did. After all, he was such a stickler for tardiness, it was surprising how late he was.

Either way, Rhys wasn't complaining about Jack's tardiness. It just meant ten less minutes he'd have to avoid gazing at Jack. Rhys remained pretty adamant about that even as Jack went into his lesson. So far, it didn't seem as bad as Rhys had been working it up to be. Jack had to act like nothing was out of the ordinary and so far, Jack was doing a good job of it. And, if he was being honest, Rhys wasn't doing too bad a job of it either.

That was until Jack announced, “Right! So with all this in mind, how about a pop quiz, huh? People still do that, right?”

Finally, Rhys looked up from his notebook to watch as Jack grabbed a pile of papers off his desk, waving the relatively hefty stack for all the class to see. This was _definitely_ different. Rhys almost hated that he didn't just spend the rest of the class lecturing. Lectures were easy because Rhys didn't have to get involved, he didn't have to do much of _anything_ except take notes.

But now the room would be quiet. _Really_ quiet. And Rhys wasn't sure he liked that.

Nonetheless, Rhys just told himself, once more, to suck it up. He was probably just making a bigger deal out of it than was necessary. So out went the quizzes and Rhys was burying himself into each of the mini-essay questions. They were all relatively easy and in less than half an hour, Rhys had finished. He wasn't the first to finish but he was definitely _among_ the first. He pat himself on the back a little for that one. Had to take the small victories.

And now came the time he had to turn it in. Taking a deep breath, Rhys stood from his seat and took slow steps over towards Jack's desk where a small stack of papers had already begun to form. He hesitated, flicking his eyes over to Jack who was reading something on a tablet, his blue and green eyes moving behind his thin glasses. Jack looked up and suddenly, their eyes met, making Rhys freeze for a few solid seconds.

Rhys didn't know what it was about Jack's gaze but it was mesmerizing. He stared at him with a knowing intensity and Rhys was sure his breathing had slowed to a halt in that instant. It was impossible to figure out just what he was thinking but shit, if Rhys had a choice, he'd stare into those eyes all day long.

But he _didn't_ have that choice. Swallowing hard, Rhys hurriedly dropped his quiz onto the pile of other quizzes and swiftly moved back to his desk. The entire time, he could feel Jack's eyes on him but he didn't _dare_ look back up. He was sure that if he looked back he wouldn't be able to tear his eyes away from him again for the rest of the class and that would definitely be a problem. It would solve absolutely _nothing_ for him. It would only make things worse. Much, **_much_** worse.

So there Rhys sat for the rest of the class, squirming in his chair for a majority of the time and feeling Jack's eyes on him more often than not. The last hour of class was, in its most basic form, _torture_.

***

“If any of you want to be in this Servo contest, you better prove to me how much you want to be my pick. Work your asses off on those reports, show me what you can really do! I'm looking at _you_ , Hugo. **_Try harder._** ”

If there was a stronger term for _relieved beyond belief_ , that would be Rhys right now. Class was _finally_ over, after what felt like exactly a million and one years, and Rhys made it his mission to get out of there before Jack could stop him. He wasted no time before he was out the door and not a single word had come from Jack.

Having been in that room, Rhys felt like his thoughts had been suffocated, like he couldn't think clearly so long as he was in the same room with his professor. Which was ironic, thinking was _all_ he was supposed to be doing around him. He was his **teacher** , for fuck's sake. But it all ended up amounting to jumbled and incoherent thoughts; he just didn't know where to even begin.

Part of him was glad that Jack was acting like what happened in that car didn't happen. Although, with the looks they'd exchanged during class, Jack _had_ to know what almost happened too. There was no way Jack didn't realize the situation that had nearly occurred. He wasn't _stupid_. And, unfortunately, neither was Rhys. He knew there was something there, a very _weird_ something, between the two.

But maybe Rhys ruined everything. The fact that Jack hadn't so much as said a word about what happened could be evidence enough of that. And now Rhys was starting to second guess himself; maybe he was the only one making a move back then. What would've happened if Rhys didn't leave that car? What _should_ have happened?

Rhys was driving himself crazy with the conflicting emotions he felt as he replayed that moment over and over in his head. He needed to knock it off and just get some lunch or something. Or he really was going to go mad.

His breath was caught between a sigh and a groan as it left his lungs, both his hands coming up to drag down his face. Just what was he going to do? Or what even _should_ he do?

***

With a full stomach and a little less scattered mindset, Rhys finally arrived back at his apartment. There, waiting in his inbox as he turned his laptop on, was an email from Jack. Rhys could feel his nervousness rising as he hesitated to open it. There was no written subject, so what the hell could he even expect from this one?

Taking a deep breath, Rhys gathered his courage and opened it.

_'Got any ideas what you might write for the Servo contest? Chat them out with me.'_

Well _that_ was a little anticlimatic in Rhys' opinion. In fact, it was a little... _Disappointing_. Which just compounded how weird and awkward this all was. Part of him wanted this message to be about what happened on Saturday, to put his wandering and erratic thoughts to rest. But instead it was about this contest. Which, if Rhys remembered, Jack still hadn't officially chosen anyone in particular to be his entry.

Rhys pulled the laptop onto his thighs as he settled into his bed, typing out a reply.

_'Didn't you tell the class about this thing just today? Little unfair if you're saying you already picked me, don't you think?'_

Not even a minute passed by before a response popped up in his email.

_'I never said I chose you, I'm just curious what you'd write about if I did choose you. Is that a crime?'_

Rolling his eyes, Rhys responded.

_'I don't know what I'll write about. I'll give it more thought if I'm actually picked.'_

Several minutes passed before another email came in.

_'Fair enough. I'll be honest with you here, kiddo, I hate emails. I've got enough of them as it is. So if you get any good ideas or just want to chat, send me a text or call at 487-9913.'_

Wait, was Rhys reading that right? Did Jack _actually_ just give him his number? _What the hell._ Rhys had to read the last line of text over and over again to make sure he wasn't just seeing things. But, sure enough, it read the same every time. He gave him his number. He had _Jack's number._ That couldn't be nothing, **could** it?

Rhys pursed his lips as his fingers hovered over the black keyboard, unsure how to even begin responding to this email. Then, a thought occurred to him.

_'Didn't you send me an email in the first place? You must not hate emails that much.'_

A small and playful smile hovered over his lips as he hit send, actually eager to see just how Jack would respond to that. He had to admit, he made a pretty good point right there. Rhys could feel himself mentally patting himself on the back for that one.

But Rhys waited and waited for a response. Minutes and minutes went by as Rhys dicked around on other sites, checking his email every so often. What began as smugness started to melt into slight worry. Maybe he _shouldn't_ have tried to be a smartass with that. It was easy to forget this man was his teacher and held the power of his GPA in his hands.

Just as Rhys was beginning to get overly nervous about the contents of his last email, another one finally popped up. Rhys opened it, expecting to get maybe some sort of lecture about how he shouldn't be such an ass but it was only a simple, single sentence.

_'Just text my damn phone instead of emailing me, Rhys. Don't be a smartass.'_

Okay, now Rhys was grinning to himself at that one. He almost laughed, even. Apparently Jack just _really_ wanted Rhys to text him. Did that mean he was using the whole topic of the contest as an excuse just to give him his number? Was it bad that Rhys liked to think that was the reason?

_Nah._

Reaching past where Minx was curled up next to him, Rhys grabbed his phone and entered the number into his contacts. He hesitated as he brought up a new text conversation with Jack's number, the little touchscreen keyboard staring him in the face.

He didn't even _know_ what to say. When it came down to it, what was he supposed to even say? Rhys was stumped. Then again, it wasn't like he **_had_ ** to text Jack. In fact, he'd wait to send a text until he was sure he knew what he wanted say.

But when it came to Jack, Rhys had no idea when that time would ever come because Jack had a way of making Rhys speechless.

 


	8. Faux confidence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack is getting impatient about Rhys texting him so he gives him a little incentive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hold onto your butts friends because it's all gonna be a wild ride from here on out! There is some sexual content in this chapter so little fair warning there. Again, thank you all so much for your support! Updates are gonna come every other day now.

Officially, it had been over an entire month since the day Jack took Rhys out to Hyperion. In addition, it had been an entire month since Rhys got Jack's number. And still, there was _no_ text sent. It wasn't because Rhys _didn't_ want to, but because every time he would try to think of something to say, he blanked. There was just not a whole lot that Rhys could think of to talk about. Nothing of substance, anyway.

He could send him a generic vanilla conversation starter but that would go nowhere fast and Rhys would just feel, well... Dumb? He didn't know. Which was odd, considering that Rhys never tended to be the type to linger on something for so long. He usually just _did_ things. He liked to consider himself a pretty confident person in that regard. But that all came crashing down when Jack came into the equation.

Either way, things had gone back to relative normalcy in the classroom. Jack was still great at teaching, Rhys was showing up early, homework was getting done, and his grade was still floating on a high ninety-nine percent. And beyond the few times that Rhys and Jack's eyes met during class, there hadn't been much extended interaction between them. It was even beginning to make Rhys feel like everything that had happened last month _didn't_ actually happen.

It seemed today that was **_really_** going to start changing.

Another week was finally coming to a close and the class was beginning to disperse from the lecture hall. Rhys was finishing up just a few touches on his report for that week before he would hand it in to Jack, who seemed to be waiting patiently by his desk. Rhys peeked up at Jack for just a moment, finding that he was looking right at Rhys, no doubt expecting to get his paper from him. He didn't let his eyes linger and he went over the paper once more before deeming it done.

Packing up his stuff, Rhys stood from his seat and slung the strap of his messenger bag over his shoulder. He grabbed his report and turned to start heading over towards Jack but it seemed like Jack beat him to the punch. Jack was immediately in front of him, watching him intently with a raised eyebrow. Rhys could feel himself trying to back away slightly but he was impeded by the desk he'd just been sitting at.

“U-um, _Jack?_ ” Rhys found the name tumbling from his lips without his permission, not knowing what else to even say with how close Jack was. Rhys' eyes fluttered from side to side, glad to note that the classroom was empty, otherwise this might've been even _more_ awkward than it already was.

“ _Rhys?_ ” Jack responded, ending his name in a similar fashion to the way Rhys had. “Finally finished with that report?”

Rhys took a quick breath before he brought up his metal hand that grasped onto the papers, offering it up slightly, “Em, y-yeah, _here_. Here it is.”

Jack took the papers, slowly leaning even closer. Rhys instinctively leaned back, the edge of the desk digging into the back of his legs as Jack grew closer still. The feeling of heat began to fight its way to Rhys' cheeks as mere inches separated the two men and, more than anything, Rhys was just confused what was even happening.

“Something _wrong_ with your phone, cupcake?” Jack whispered, both his arms now pinning Rhys where he stood as his hands leaned onto the desk. Rhys could feel Jack's arms brushing against him slightly, the contact like electricity running through his veins.

Rhys knew that kind of question might have come up sooner or later. But certainly not _now_ and certainly not like **_this_**. Jack didn't exactly seem mad that he hadn't sent him a text or even a call, nor did he seem pleased either. Rhys didn't know where to even begin reading Jack in this moment. All he knew was Jack's face was only _inches_ away from his own and the faintly citrus scent of the older man was driving him **_mad_**.

After a moment of silence, all Rhys could do was shake his head, eyes wide as he felt frozen in place.

The ghost of a smirk danced on Jack's lips, “Oh, so _that's_ what it is. Just don't want to text me, huh?”

“ **No** , that's n-not...” Rhys trailed off, swallowing roughly. He tried again. “I-I just don't know what to-to even...”

Before Rhys could finish, Jack was laughing quite heartily and pulling away from Rhys, the distance making Rhys realize just how close Jack _had_ been a mere second ago. Rhys felt stunned as Jack walked back to his desk, “Fine, fine. Doesn't have to be the most _profound_ conversation starter, y'know. I like just a little hello from time to time.”

Slowly, Rhys could feel his body leaning away from the desk, knowing and hating that the blush was still extremely prevalent on his face, “O-okay. G-got it.”

“Trust me, Rhysie, I don't bite,” Jack began after he placed Rhys' report on his desk, turning to cross his arms over his chest. He winked very clearly at Rhys, “ _Hard_.”

Rhys felt like his soul was leaving his body and he was turning to nothing but a puddle of a flustered mess. It was even better than the last wink Jack had thrown his way and **_God_ ** how he wanted to see it over and _over_ again. And now he was imagining Jack's lips all over him, biting him, teasing him, doing **_anything_ ** to him.

Jack did this on purpose. Rhys could see that in the way he grinned. He _knew_ what he was doing and shit, did he do it well. He was suddenly feeling heat beginning to pool in areas he absolutely did **_not_ ** want right then. Rhys needed to leave.

“I-I, um..” Rhys stammered, his shaky, long legs taking him quickly to the entrance of the lecture hall. “S-see you Monday.”

And without waiting for a response, Rhys slipped out of the room swiftly, heading in a bee line directly back to his apartment with only two things on his mind: Jack's stupid wink and Jack's stupid grin.

Fuck, he was so **_fucking_ ** fucked.

***

Rhys couldn't believe the position he was in right now. Okay, well, maybe he could. Immediately after he'd gotten home, he went straight to his bed and stripped himself of every piece of clothing he had on. The journey home was sped up by the very demanding boner begging to be taken care of and who was he to deny it after what had just happened?

Not a hint of guilt or shame was on Rhys' mind then as he pumped his flesh hand along his throbbing length, his ass in the air and his body shivering as images of Jack flooded his thoughts. The cool metal of his right hand reached back to prod at his tight entrance, imagining for the moment that it was Jack's doing, that Jack was pressing into him and making him moan.

The wink and the close contact from today sent flames throughout Rhys' body as he sped up the motions on his cock, burying his face into his pillow as he hummed out a low moan. Rhys wasn't sure what was going to happen in that moment when Jack had him pinned against his desk like that. He just didn't know what _could_ happen and that was utterly **thrilling**. Jack had such a presence, it was overbearing and powerful and Rhys was drunk off of the idea of being at Jack's mercy.

Rhys could feel his hips moving into the motions of his hands, hissing as he pressed another lubed metal finger into himself, the lack of sensation on his fingers making it that much easier to imagine it was, indeed, Jack's.

“F—fuck, _Jack_ ,” Rhys felt the name tumble from his lips like a rushing waterfall. His shoulders scrunched up as his body squirmed in delight, the feeling of his looming orgasm overcoming him in handfuls. With a few last and quick motions, Rhys gasped, burying his face deeply into the mattress and he curled in on himself, streams of his warm juices leaking rapidly from the swollen head of his member.

Each spray of his cum landed on his dark bedsheets, something he knew he'd hate himself for later but in that moment, he didn't care. He was spent. He rolled over to his left, collapsing and attempting to regain his breath. Somehow that was a _much_ more powerful orgasm than he'd had in, well... He couldn't even remember when he'd had one _that_ good.

“ _Ngh_ , fuck..,” Rhys murmured to himself, taking several deep breaths before air seemed to come and go through his parted lips much more evenly. Lifting up his left hand, he brushed his forearm against his lips, wiping away a stray bit of saliva. He'd need a shower after that one.

But first, a thought came to Rhys. Maybe it was just the post-orgasmic high making him brave, but he _actually_ wanted to text Jack now. Or maybe even call him. He wasn't sure. All he knew was he craved Jack in some way or another in that moment.

Reaching over to his nightstand, he grabbed his phone, searching through his conversations to find Jack's. It was empty of any messages, a blinking vertical line bidding him to start typing. And so he did.

_'Hi Jack, it's Rhys. You said you don't bite hard. Is that a promise?'_

Immediately after sending the text, Rhys giggled to himself as he buried his face into his phone like some stupid little school boy with a crush. Then again, that's _exactly_ what he was right now, wasn't he? Naked in bed, covered in his own sweat and cum, having just masturbated to his teacher. He felt pathetic but he also felt he _couldn't_ care less.

His phone buzzed and dinged as he received a simple text back that threatened to make him cum all over again.

_'For you? Not sure I can keep that promise, Rhysie.'_

Rhys' fingers were a blur as he responded to the text without hesitation.

_'Good. Not sure I'd want it any other way.'_

The text was sent and Rhys felt absolutely shameless about the way he was texting his teacher right at that moment. Again, it was probably because he was still reeling from his orgasm and it generated a faux confidence he wouldn't have at any other point. In fact, he was sure that he would come to regret saying such bold things to Jack tomorrow. No, not even tomorrow. Probably later _today_.

But that was okay. Rhys would live with it. Because this would be worth it. _Absolutely_ worth it.

 


	9. Waited long enough

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack has waited too long for this moment and Rhys' only complaint is that it didn't last long enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lookie here, the chapter we've all been waiting for!! About damn time, huh? As always, thank you all so sooo much for your awesome comments and kudos and just overall support! This fic is gonna be getting a lotttt more steamy from here on out hehehe.

The library could be a good place to study for a midterm, but only when you were in the right mindset. Rhys, however, was definitely _not_ in the right mindset. There had been a considerable amount of regret and shame after those texts had been sent last week. But it was to the point that it was so, so _bad_ , that it was actually incredibly _good_. Because now Rhys couldn't stop thinking about Jack.

Ever since those texts last week, Jack would always watch him with such intense and hungry gazes. And sometimes, Rhys couldn't resist returning those looks right back at him. In simpler terms, the two had been eye fucking nearly every time they were in class. At least once or twice. It always left Rhys squirming in his seat, heat pooling uncontrollably in his cheeks so strongly, he always had to pull the hood of his hoodie up to avoid being noticed by his classmates.

To add to it all, Rhys couldn't stop from masturbating nearly every time he got home from class, Jack's eyes on his mind and his name on Rhys' lips every time. It was getting bad and Rhys was sure he was going to burst the next time he had to be in class with him. Luckily, it was the weekend, so Rhys had time to compose himself before being subjected to another week of eye fucking.

Despite all this, neither of them _actually_ did anything more than that. Even their conversations, both through text and in person, had been few and far between, and quite sparse in length. Which Rhys wasn't too broken up about; he wasn't sure he could handle Jack bringing up a conversation about those first texts he'd sent. Not to mention, whatever it was that they had going on. It was obvious there was _something_  there, but nothing had been explicitly said. Rhys had to wonder if Jack was just messing with him this whole time. Because if he was, then he was doing one hell of a job at it.

Rhys jumped at a sudden vibration within the pocket of his jeans, realizing a moment later it was his phone. Taking a deep breath and exhaling, Rhys reached into his pocket, fishing out his phone before looking to see a text from Jack. Rhys swallowed roughly before opening it, his eyebrows furrowing in slight confusion.

_'So I see you're being a nerd at the library.'_

Slowly, Rhys looked up from his phone, looking about his immediate area. There was little to no one around him (it _was_ a Friday, after all), only a few students sat at the small row of desks, all their attentions buried into their own respective studies. Was Jack here? Right now? _Just watching him?_ Rhys felt a minute inner shudder go through his body at the thought of that. He quickly replied.

_'What? Are you here?'_

Jack's response came only moments after his own sent, causing his heart to stop right in his chest.

_'Come to the autobiography section.'_

He felt a lump of nervousness claw its way into his throat as he looked over to his right in the direction of the autobiography section, feeling apprehensive and frozen where he sat. Was Jack telling him to go over there because that's where he was? _Holy shit._ Rhys could only guess at what Jack wanted, his mind running away with very, _very_ bad ideas and possibilities.

But Rhys had to remind himself that they were in public. A _library_ , of all places. He really needed to calm down, go over there, and see what Jack wanted. That's all he was doing. Seeing what Jack wanted.

Gathering up his courage, Rhys collected his things, perhaps a bit too hurriedly as he shoved his books into his messenger bag. He was overly excited and he reprimanded himself, forcing his motions to slow down. Soon enough, he was standing and slinging his bag over his shoulder, taking careful steps closer to the autobiography section.

Turning the corner of a bookshelf, Rhys looked down the long aisle along the wall to see... No one? Rhys could feel his eyebrows furrow slightly, a small hint of disappointment filling him then. Where was he? Unless Jack had been messing with him the whole time and he probably just made himself look like a complete idiot.

“ _Jack?_ ” Rhys found his voice, hissing out his professor's name in a whisper. Slowly, he began moving down the aisle, his eyes scanning around for any sign of Jack. Hell, there wasn't even a sign of a single person in this section. Rhys tried calling for him again, “ _Ja--?!_ ”

Immediately, Rhys gave a small yelp as he felt a strong hand on his left arm, tugging him into a portion of the wall between bookshelves. In a split moment, he could feel the cool wall against his back, his eyes widening as he realized Jack had found him first and now Jack was pinning him against the indented wall with no hope of escape.

“Jack?!”

"Shh," Jack hushed him, the hint of a smirk playing at his lips. He was close. Very close. Rhys was sure he'd stopped breathing because the near contact was making him go woozy.

"Wh-what're you doing?" Rhys finally found his words, sounding utterly confused yet extremely flustered.

A grin slowly made its way onto Jack's features as he grew closer to the younger man still, their faces just inches apart as he whispered, "Something that we should've done a long, long time ago."

"Wha--?"

The sudden sensation of Jack's lips on his own cut him off, causing Rhys' body to go entirely rigid in the process. Jack was engulfing Rhys' lips in a hungry manner, suckling them down and squeezing Rhys' bottom lip between his teeth. It took no thought for Rhys to allow his hands to busy themselves by rushing through the strands of Jack's hair, leaning into the kiss without hesitation.

Rhys could feel Jack's body pressing hard against him, forcing him against the wall without mercy as each of Jack's hands pressed against the wall either side of Rhys' head. Jack's tongue slid along Rhys' lips, prodding and demanding entrance, to which Rhys allowed his lips to part, welcoming the sweet taste of Jack's tongue as it dove directly into his mouth. Jack's tongue swirled about Rhys' own tongue, reveling in the new and delightful sensation and drinking in every bit of the younger man's mouth.

“Think I wouldn't notice the way you _look_ at me, Rhysie?” Jack whispered in a rush against Rhys' lips, recapturing and suckling on his mouth. He spoke between kisses, sloppy and heavy, “The way you talked to me in those texts?”

Rhys could feel a sharp gasp pull through his nostrils at the abrupt sensation of Jack's leg rubbing against his crotch, bidding a muffled groan to vibrate his throat. Jack growled as he bit at Rhys' lips once more.

“ _Did you think I wouldn't notice?_ ” Jack asked once more, tilting his head to the side as he wrapped his lips around Rhys' neck and bit down roughly before sucking.

Rhys' eyes went wide at the sudden hint of pain, “ _Agh!_ J-Jack, _w-wait--_ ”

“I've waited long enough,” Jack interjected sharply, his knee moving up and down against Rhys' clothed member before he suckled on his neck once more.

Rhys shuddered, feeling the motions of his leg, although blunt and clumsy, were working. His arousal was definitely growing. On one hand, this was better than Rhys could've _ever_ imagined and he almost couldn't believe it was happening. But on the other...

Moving his hands to Jack's shoulders, Rhys began to try and push Jack away, his body giving into the force slightly and pulling away from Rhys.

“Jack, wait, w-we _can't_ here--”

Jack's lips were on Rhys' once more, cutting him off abruptly. The kiss didn't last before Jack pulled away once more and gave Rhys a lazy smirk, “You're right. _We can't here._ ”

Before Rhys could say another word (he felt far too dazed to even form coherent words as it was), the feeling of Jack's strong hand was wrapping around Rhys' left wrist and he was being tugged along as Jack began swiftly walking. Rhys was still in a daze, far too out of it to even argue as he trailed behind him. They continued past the autobiography section and another break in the long bookshelf showed a door with the clear word _'MAINTENANCE'_ written on it. Stopping, Jack opened the door and slipped within, making sure there was no one within the small maintenance closet before pulling Rhys in.

As soon as the door was closed and locked, Rhys winced as he was forced back against the nearest wall, Jack seeming to pick up right where they left off.

“You never answered my question, kiddo,” Jack began again, pressing his body into Rhys' and licking a trail along his neck. “Consider it a pop quiz.”

Rhys couldn't help but shudder out a quiet moan as Jack suckled his earlobe into his mouth, worrying the flesh between his teeth gently. Rhys could barely even think let alone answer Jack's question. What was his question again? Rhys felt his arms wrap around Jack's neck, pulling him closer as he returned to the task along his neck.

“Wh-what..?” Rhys finally managed before he could feel a very determined hand brushing along his crotch. He gasped as Jack found his pleading member, rubbing it over the restrictive material of his jeans.

“Did you _really_ think I wouldn't notice how badly you want me, Rhysie?” Jack hummed playfully before he gave a sloppy suckle at Rhys' Adam's apple. “Tick tock, this is a timed quiz.”

Rhys moved his hands down to Jack's shoulders to dig his fingers into the material of Jack's shirt, pulling the fabric tightly into his grip. Another stifled moan slipped past gritted teeth as Rhys considered his question, attempting to answer, “I-I don't know.”

“ _Wrong answer_ ,” Jack growled playfully, his hand continuing its motions along Rhys' quickly growing erection.

Rhys tried his best to hold back another moan and he was only partially successful. This was so wrong. So, **_so_ ** wrong on so many levels. For one, they were in a library maintenance closet. And for another, this was his _teacher_. Rhys was sure there were so many rules against this kind of, well... Whatever was happening right now. He was sure that if this got out, that if anyone had even so much as seen them moments ago, Rhys could get kicked out of this school and Jack would lose his job too. In that case, Rhys could also kiss his job opportunity at Hyperion goodbye.

But God, he _didn't_ want Jack to stop. He didn't want this to end. He wanted Jack's hands all over him, he wanted to live in this moment forever. There was nothing he wanted more in that moment than just Jack and everything he could give him. And the wrongness of it all just made him that much more compelled to just let this keep happening. It was exhilarating.

“ _J-Jack_ ,” Rhys moaned his name like he'd done so many times on his own, but there was a sweetness this time that couldn't have been present before. All because Jack could actually hear him moan his name.

“Oh, I've been waiting for this for a _long_ time,” the enticing words slipped through Jack's lips quickly and seamlessly, both his hands now working at unbuttoning Rhys' pants.

Rhys was sure his face was beyond red at this point. So red, he was worried that his face might even end up staying that shade for the rest of his life. Jack had been waiting for this? How long did that imply? As long as Rhys had been waiting for it? The thought of it made Rhys' body become alight in a renewed flame as one of Jack's hands slipped past his pants and undergarment, brushing his fingertips along the flesh of his hardened length.

Another moan forced itself out from Rhys' throat but it was stopped short as he felt the palm of Jack's other hand clasping firmly against his mouth as he whispered, “Damn kiddo, you're noisy. I like that, but _not_ here. Don't wanna get caught, now do we?”

Rhys felt his head shake haphazardly, knowing he always had been much more vocal than he'd like any time it involved anything sexual. But it was so difficult to keep quiet when Jack had his fingers wrapped around his dick which had been freed somewhere along the line. It was even more difficult when Jack was moving his hand in a tight clutch up and down his length, pumping it and bidding more sounds and mewls of pleasure to dance in his throat.

Trying to keep as quiet as possible, Rhys whimpered softly into Jack's hand along his lips, just barely aware of the intense way Jack was watching his every expression. Their eyes locked a moment later and Rhys couldn't look away. He didn't _want_ to look away. The room was dim, smelled of cleaner and sweat, but none of that could detract away from just how goddamn _handsome_ Jack was.

Jack was doing wonderful, _wonderful_ things with his hand and Rhys could feel his hips beginning to thrust up to meet the pumps of his fingers. It was bliss and Rhys felt as though he was already nearing the edge of his climax.

“Gonna cum for me, pumpkin?” Jack asked, his voice low, husky, and filled with a lust Rhys knew he wouldn't be able to get out of his mind for weeks to come.

Rhys could only nod haphazardly, another moan rumbling against Jack's hand as he was bombarded with intense motions against his swollen head. He was so, so close now, blissfully close, so much closer than he wanted to be. He felt that if he came, it would be the end of this moment. He wanted no end to these sensations. He wanted to live in these sensations forever. But there he could feel his orgasm looming.

“ _Mmph!_ ” Rhys tried to speak, reaching forward with his left hand to grasp onto Jack's pumping wrist. He was on the precipice, about to fall over into overwhelming pleasure, trying to warn Jack of his oncoming release.

“You close?” Jack murmured, watching every minuscule change in Rhys' expression.

Once more, Rhys was only able to nod; he wasn't sure he'd be able to form coherent words even if he wanted to.

A smile, deeply amused yet seductive, pulled Jack's lips taut, not a single hitch in his pumps along Rhys' shaft, “C'mon, Rhysie. _Cum for me._ Show me how much you **_loved_ ** this.”

And that was all Rhys needed. Rhys' breath hitched as that familiar feeling pooled within the bottom of his torso, traveling down and all throughout his body. He threw his head back against the wall, eyes fluttering shut as he felt his hot seed burst from his length, each spurt seeming to renew his orgasm and send another wave of euphoria reeling through his every nerve.

Rhys couldn't contain the moan that rumbled deeply in his throat, just barely muffled by Jack's hand on his mouth. And all too soon, Rhys could feel it coming to an end, heaps of air entering and leaving his nose as he struggled to find more oxygen to sate his burning lungs. His heart was beating a million miles a minute, leaving the room spinning around him and everything feeling so surreal.

Before he could register it, Jack had removed his hand and was engulfing his lips once more in a much less urgent kiss but it still held passion and need. Rhys returned it tiredly, leaning into the kiss without hesitation.

“Shit, we _really_ should've done this sooner,” Jack hummed in a chuckle against Rhys' lips before he was pulling away.

Just as Rhys opened his eyes, he watched with a half-lidded gaze as Jack brought up his right hand, the very one he'd just used, and dragged his tongue over his cum-covered fingers. Rhys could only watch in stunned silence as Jack brought the white liquid into his mouth before swallowing.

_Holy shit._

“Guess you should get back to studying, huh?” Jack said with a grin as he moved over to the door, unlocking and opening it. He paused, halfway out the door, before he turned a wink at Rhys, “It's gonna be a _hard_ test.”

As the door closed, Rhys could feel gravity pulling him down to the ground in a daze, landing on the floor with a thud. His chest rose and fell in slower increments as he regained his breath, his thoughts still trying to catch up to what just happened. Did that just happen? Jack had left so quickly, he was beginning to think it didn't actually happen. But he was spent, exhausted, small bits of his own cum covering his clothing.

If this was some kind of dream, then Rhys was sure as hell he **_never_ ** wanted to wake up ever again.

 


	10. Spider bites

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yep, they're just spider bites. That's all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There were so many comments last chapter, I just can't keep up with you guys anymore, oh wow. Thank you all tonsss! More sin is coming, maybe not this chapter, but soon, I promise c:

Dragging his fingers over the very blaring and obvious red marks on his neck, Rhys could feel something caught between a scowl and a pout pulling at his lips. He groaned somewhat, poking and prodding at the bigger of the bunch, hoping and _praying_ they would go away before Monday rolled around. It was only Saturday, so there was still time… _Right?_

Yesterday was still vividly fresh in his mind and he was replaying every single second of what happened in his thoughts. Over and over again, he felt Jack’s hands on him, his soft lips claiming his own hungrily, and the incredible release he’d felt all thanks to Jack. _Of course_ he wasn’t able to go back to studying. He just couldn’t. As much as he wanted to, there was _no_ way in hell that would happen. He came out of that maintenance closet looking dazed and confused, feeling even more so. Studying just didn’t happen after that.

Instead, he went straight home where he spent the rest of the day in a blur, wondering just what was going to happen next. Where did this leave them? Class would probably never be the same again, there was _no way_ it ever could be. They’d both crossed a line that was impossible to backtrack to and whether Rhys liked it or not, this could make things difficult. And definitely not in a good way.

Sighing, Rhys rubbed at the spots once more, eyeing them carefully within the mirror of his bathroom. He wished that, at the very least, Jack wouldn’t have made such obvious marks on him. These things would be nearly impossible to hide even if he wore his hoodie. Did Jack maybe… Do that on _purpose?_

Oh, that _asshole_.

Just as Rhys began to consider calling Jack up to yell at him for it, there was a knock at the door, bringing Rhys right out of his reverie. It left him confused. He hadn’t been expecting any sort of company that day or really for the rest of the weekend. All he had planned for that day was to do some laundry and clean up around his apartment. Which wasn’t too necessary, but he felt like he wasn’t sure what else to do with his time otherwise.

Nonetheless, Rhys left his bathroom, making his way over to the front door. He opened it, revealing the absolute last person he expected to be the one knocking.

“ _Vaughn?!_ ”

Rhys grinned widely, reaching forward and bringing his shorter friend into a warm and firm embrace, “What’re you _doing_ here?!”

Vaughn just laughed, returning Rhys’ hug in kind, “Nice to see you too, bro. I’m on spring break!”

As Rhys pulled away from Vaughn, he groaned a bit, his voice sounding just a bit on the whiney side, “Now _that’s_ just not fair, my spring break isn’t for another week.”

Moving back, Rhys allowed Vaughn to step into his apartment, closing the door as his friend looked about the small living room. He placed his hands on his hips, giving a small shrug, “I _tried_ to get you to go there with me, y'know. And you did _not_ wanna listen. Who’s sorry now, huh?”

Rhys just scoffed, shrugging his arms out slightly, “Pfft, _puh_ - ** _lease_** , Vaughn. Me? At _Pandora University?_ Where their robotics program is not even close to Helios’? You, my friend, are hilarious.”

Vaughn gave his taller friend a playful scowl as he turned to face him once more, “I’m sorry, _who’s_ on spring break right now? Me? Yeah, that’s what I thought.”

“Okay, okay,” Rhys laughed lightly, shaking his head. “So you’re on spring break. Is that why you’re here? Came to gloat all about it?”

“More or less,” Vaughn said with a nod. “I actually figured I’d chill with you for the week. I mean, if you wouldn’t mind. My mom’s out of town so I can’t exactly go home. Didn't feel like staying at the dorm either. All came up kinda last minute.”

This whole thing was _completely_ unexpected, but it wasn’t as though Rhys wasn’t happy about it. In fact, he was a lot more excited about the prospect of getting to hang out with Vaughn for the next week than he originally anticipated. God **_knows_ ** he needed at least some sort of proper social interaction. All he ever did was go to class as it was, so this would be a good distraction. Especially with everything that had been happening lately.

“Hell yeah!” Rhys exclaimed, the grin taking over his face once more. “You’ll have to be bored while I’m at class, but I mean, my couch is your couch, buddy.”

“Perfect,” Vaughn grinned right back, moving over to settle down onto the nearby loveseat. “How’s that going, by the way? Class, I mean.”

Rhys should’ve known this question would come up. It was only a matter of time, really. And the only thing that came to mind when the subject of his class was brought up was, well… _Jack_. And that was a messy and complicated subject at the moment. Rhys unconsciously brought his right hand up, brushing the cool metal against the red spots on his neck absently.

  
“Class is, _um_ ,” Rhys began, unsure of his words as he paced across the living room. “Well, it’s ah… _Good_.”

Vaughn watched him through his glasses, his eyes narrowing slightly and suspiciously, “You don’t sound so sure about that. Oh, and what’s with the marks on your neck? Got a spider problem?”

Rhys could feel his metal hand slam down roughly onto his neck, immediately trying to cover them up. He’d all but forgotten about those, not realizing, for whatever reason, that Vaughn might point them out. He’d simply been so caught up in seeing Vaughn again that he hadn’t considered…

“Th-they’re, _uh_ – yeah. _Spiders_ ,” Rhys laughed a bit nervously, looking everywhere but at Vaughn. He didn’t need to even look at him though, he knew Vaughn wasn’t buying it with the way he was acting. “Spiders… They get bad around this time, y'know.”

“No, I _really_ don’t think they do.” Vaughn just smirked, his tone taunting, “Are those what I think they are?”

“ _Yes!_ Spider bites! Like you said,” Rhys stuttered, knowing he was just backing himself into a corner. Vaughn knew exactly what he was doing.

“Come _onnnn_ , Rhys,” Vaughn quipped, drawing out his tone playfully as he crossed his arms. “I’m not dumb.”

Rhys just huffed, “Says you! You thought they were spider bites at first!”

“ ** _Aha!_** ” Vaughn shouted in triumph, standing and moving closer to Rhys, pointing a finger accusingly his way. “So they _aren’t_ spider bites! Gotcha. Fess up. Who did that?”

Rhys grit his teeth, bringing his metal hand over his eyes and screwing them shut. He rubbed his face, shaking his head as he realized there was really no way out of this. Vaughn wasn't really going to let something like this go and if Rhys had to be honest... Maybe he was glad that he would be able to say something about it to someone. Besides, he could trust Vaughn... _Couldn't he?_

Giving a sigh, Rhys crossed his arms, watching Vaughn intently, “Okay, look, you **_can't_** tell anyone. And I mean you _absolutely_ cannot tell anyone.”

Vaughn's eyebrows furrowed slightly but he shrugged, “Okay, I promise not to say anything.”

“ _I'm serious!_ ” Rhys pressed on, pointing at his friend sharply. “Not a word!”

Bringing his hands up defensively, Vaughn looked a bit taken aback at how much emphasis Rhys was putting on the secrecy, “Not a word!”

“Not even to Yvette or Sasha or – **_God forbid_** – Fiona. Okay?”

“C'mon Rhys, I already promised!” Vaughn exhaled, maybe even growing a bit worried. “You can trust me, man.”

Well, it was now or never. He couldn't just back out now, especially after making such a big deal about making sure he wouldn't say a thing. Rhys hoped and prayed that this wouldn't end up backfiring on him...

Rhys took a deep breath before saying, “They're from Jack. My robotics professor...”

At that, Vaughn's expression dropped into complete surprise. Maybe even a hint of disturbance. But he remained silent, his arms dropping to his sides slowly as he seemed to absorb what Rhys had just laid out before him. And the longer the silence went, the more unnerved Rhys got.

Rhys pulled his hands up before him, wringing them together and fiddling with his fingers as he waited for some kind of response. But still, nothing came. Rhys glued his lips tightly together, trying to figure out where to even go from here.

“Uh, Vaughn?” Rhys finally spoke, his voice teeming with nervousness. “Vaughn, please, uh... Please say something, your silence is _really_ kinda freaking me out.”

“ _I_...” Vaughn began, pausing before squeezing his eyes shut and pinching the bridge of his nose. “Don't even know how to respond to that.”

A heavy sigh quickly turned into a groan as Rhys dropped his face into his hands, burying his expression of total embarrassment away from the view of his friend, “That's the **least** comforting thing you could've said.”

“Well, what did you _want_ to hear?”

Rhys shook his head, still not looking back at Vaughn, “I don't know! Guess I can't blame you, I don't even know how to respond to it.”

Finally, Rhys returned his eyes to Vaughn, his friend's expression looking somewhat grim as he crossed his arms, “You do know that could... Get you kicked out of school... Right?”

“Oh, _yeah_ ,” Rhys started in a mockingly upbeat tone. “Thanks for reminding me of that, buddy. _Really._ ”

“Sorry,” Vaughn quickly apologized, bringing up a hand to scratch at the back of his head. “What're you going to do then?”

Rhys shrugged slightly, “I have no clue. I don't even know how I'm gonna face him on Monday.”

Vaughn's lips twisted to the side in thought as he considered his next words carefully, “Well... Do you actually _like_ your professor?”

That caught Rhys a bit off guard. He hesitated, words stuck at the back of his throat as he averted his eyes. It was a question that Rhys had certainly asked himself several times beforehand but there never really came a solid answer. So really, did he? Well...

“...Define _like_ ,” Rhys finally settled, watching Vaughn with a tentative gaze.

“Oh my God, you totally like him,” Vaughn said as he practically face palmed, rubbing his forehead as he did so.

“ _Shut up!_ ” came the stuttering response from Rhys, his words a bit too quick and automatic. Rhys was sure that a blush was threatening to appear on his face, but he tried to fight it down. He wanted and needed to retain as much dignity here as possible. _If_ it was even possible, that was.

Sighing, Vaughn opened his mouth to respond but stopped short as he looked down, Minx rubbing herself along Vaughn's legs. Immediately, a smile brightened up his face as he crouched down, “Minx! Awh, it's good to see you too, Minxie! _Did you miss me?_ ”

Rhys could feel his shoulders slump as he stared down at his friend in disbelief as he started to pet the small cat. At least it seemed like Vaughn wasn't too caught up on it all. If his cat was enough to distract him from the issue then maybe Rhys really didn't have much to worry about.

“ ** _Vaughn_** ,” he urged, clenching his teeth slightly.

“What?” Vaughn asked as he looked back up at Rhys, his hand still carding through Minx's fur. “Look, I don't know man, just... Talk to him about it. Clear the air. Or something. I'm an accounting student, not a relationships expert.”

Placing his hands on his hips, Rhys sighed before he mumbled, “Thanks, pal. You're a _real_ help.”

***

“Vaughn! Yo, Vaughn, I'm going to class.”

There was a dread in those words that Rhys could feel to the very depths of his core as he opened the front door to his apartment. He shot a glance over at his friend, who was face down on his couch, covered in a thin blanket, with Minx curled up on his back. He looked more dead than alive as he gave a groan and a half-assed wave to acknowledge Rhys. Although Rhys wasn't sure if he _actually_ heard him or he was swatting away some bad equations in his dreams.

Either way, Rhys rolled his eyes and shook his head before he stepped out of his apartment, closing and locking the door behind him. It didn't exactly feel real. After the events of Friday, it felt like life should've just... _Stopped_. Halted. Completely and totally frozen. He didn't feel like he should be walking to class on a Monday morning because his mind was still locked in the past.

Rhys had finally gotten the courage up to text Jack on Sunday evening. It was a struggle, but Rhys finally sucked it up and sent a text Jack's way that read _'So should we talk about what happened on Friday or...?'_. And for as much working up Rhys did to even get himself to hit send on the message, he hadn't received a _single_ response back. It was definitely a let down to wake up that morning and still see no text whatsoever.

Not that Rhys could even do anything about it. Sure, he could send another text or even try calling Jack, but what would be the point now? Sighing, Rhys reached into his pocket to bring his phone out to check once more to see if maybe he'd actually gotten a reply from when he checked it after waking up. And there, much to his surprise, was a response. He quickly opened the text and read it over several times, not quite believing what was written there.

_'We can talk after class at lunch. I'll buy.'_

After what happened, it was hard not to think of this as a, well... _As a date._ Was that dumb of Rhys to consider it that? Maybe it was. But Rhys couldn't help but run the word through his mind over and over. Jack would be paying for their lunch they were going to be having together.

_Together._

Damnable butterflies came to life within his stomach as he found himself slowly starting to smile. Despite how _bad_ of a situation this could turn out to be, he was happy to have this much, at least. As little as it was, he appreciated that Jack was willing to talk things over with him. Even if Rhys knew talking in the first place would be a difficult thing to do around Jack. It was something.

Rhys finally arrived in class just minutes before it started, settling into his seat and eyeing Jack who was busy writing out some notes on the whiteboard. Rhys couldn't help himself as his gaze traveled downwards, drinking in the view of Jack's ass shamelessly. But all too soon, Jack turned to face the class and his eyes were averting away as Jack began lecturing.

It was a, surprisingly, normal class. Other than Jack urging everyone to get ready for the big mid-term test on Friday and giving out some study guides, it was how every class had been for the past several weeks. The eye fucking, _of course_ , made a return, even stronger than before. And this time, Rhys didn't mind it. He bore his stare right back at Jack, unable to stop imagining Jack licking his cum off of each his fingers.

It got to the point Rhys had to force himself to look away at times, reminding himself to stop letting his mind wander so. He didn't want to end up with an erection in the middle of class. That would be... Bad. _Very_ bad.

But thankfully, class was finally over and Rhys lingered at his desk, patiently waiting for the rest of the students to take their leave. It always seemed like the class emptied relatively quickly but for some reason, today they seemed to be taking their time. Maybe it was because Rhys was practically itching to go have lunch with Jack. That could definitely be it.

As the last student left the classroom, Rhys stood from his seat, grabbing his bag as he approached Jack, “We still on for lunch?”

Jack took one look at Rhys before he was attempting to try and force back a laugh, only mildly successful, "Damn, I really did a number on your neck there, didn't I?"

Immediately, Rhys covered the marks with his metal hand, his expression growing flustered and annoyed all at once, " ** _Jack._** "

Jack just shot a small smile his way, moving over to his desk and gathering his things as he responded, “Yeah, yeah, we're still on for lunch, just gimme a second to get everything. And calm down, you look like you're about to explode.”

Rhys swallowed roughly, clearing his throat as he brought his hand away from his neck, his other hand tightening on the strap of his bag, “Why did you do it?”

That got a scoff out of Jack as he tossed a glance his way, “Sorry, what?”

“ _You know what I mean_ ,” Rhys insisted, his voice wavering ever so slightly as he tried to handle this with as much tact as possible. Although that was definitely a monumental task, considering the subject matter.

Slowly, Jack snapped his briefcase into place before pulling it off his desk, his movements seemingly calculated and intentionally sluggish. Rhys felt like he really was going to explode right now. He was sure he might lose the battle of heat on his face while he was at it too.

Jack approached Rhys with just a few steps, invading his personal space as one of his hands came to wrap possessively at Rhys' hip, tugging him even closer. Rhys felt his body freeze as the gentle waft of Jack's breath ghosted over his ear.

“Because you're too damn irresistible to keep my hands off of any longer,” Jack's words came out in a hot whisper that made Rhys feel like his body was on fire, every inch of his form screaming at him to pull Jack even closer.

But the moment passed as Jack pulled away, a small smirk on his lips, speaking then as if nothing had happened, “Well? Ready to go get lunch? I'm friggin' starving.”

Oh, Rhys hated how Jack did that. _What. An. **Ass.**_

 


	11. Bad timing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rhys had never expected this, in more ways than one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quite the long chapter today! And things definitely get pretty heated. Again, thank you all tons for continuing to read! You all make my days so much better <3

Just a short drive away, Jack and Rhys had ended up at a little deli called Hollow Point. It was actually a place that Rhys had never been to before. He'd passed it a few times but had never really considered trying it out. He'd always opted to eat at home than anywhere else, if he could. Saved more money that way. But it was a nice enough place. A bit small, yet cozy.

Along the way, Rhys had barely been able to get a word out, making the short ride pretty quiet, but it oddly wasn't as awkward as Rhys felt it could've been. Maybe he would've been more talkative, but of course, Jack left him speechless _again_. It was beginning to be a habit that Jack was making. Rhys wasn't sure he liked that. But if he said he didn't like **_how_ ** Jack was doing it... Then that'd be a hell of a lie. He liked it a little _too_ much.

“So, know what you're gonna order?”

Jack's sudden voice snapped Rhys out of his reverie, his brown and blue eyes looking up from the menu before him to glance at Jack. They'd found a small table in the corner of the little restaurant, a surprisingly small amount of people seated around them. It was comfortably secluded.

“I've never been here,” Rhys began, his eyes returning to the laminated menu. “I don't really know what to get...”

Jack just shrugged, “Pretty much anything here is good. Except the pretzels. Their pretzels _suck_.”

That was... A _little_ disappointing to Rhys. He'd actually been eyeing the pretzels on the menu but hearing from Jack that they sucked knocked that idea out of the water. Not that it mattered much, Rhys guessed.

“Duly noted,” Rhys mumbled as he gave the menu another once over, finding his attention turning to a grilled cheese sandwich meal. It sounded just as good as anything, so he mentally decided on that. Setting his menu down, Rhys looked over to Jack who was still looking over his own menu and he somehow looked... _Bored?_ Rhys pushed his lips together into a thin line as he considered a question that was begging to leave his tongue.

“Why _me?_ ”

At that, Jack looked up from his menu, watching Rhys behind his thin glasses. With a cocked eyebrow, Jack asked, “Why you _what?_ ”

Rhys shifted a bit uncomfortably in his seat before he tried to clarify, “Do you just do this sort of thing with every student that has high grades? Or is it... Just me?”

A small laugh burst from Jack's lips as he put his menu onto the table. He crossed his arms, leaning onto the table as he did so, “That depends, do you _really_ think I jerk off every top-of-the-class student _each_ semester then take them out for lunch?”

Rhys couldn't help but wince at the way Jack worded that. It was so blunt and right to the point of this entire situation. But somehow, it got his point across.

“When you put it like that, it _does_ sound kinda dumb,” Rhys conceded tentatively, bringing up his metal hand to rub at his upper arm nervously.

Jack shrugged, the ghost of a smile on his lips, “Exactly. You're an exception, Rhysie.”

Rhys had to look away, knowing if he looked at Jack any longer, he'd definitely turn much more red than he'd wanted to at that moment. Rhys longed for the day when Jack wouldn't make him blush like some silly little schoolgirl. At this rate, he just wasn't sure that would become a reality. Hell, he could probably make a fatal drinking game out of it.

Before Rhys could have any kind of response to that, their waitress was suddenly beside them, placing their drinks (coffee for Jack, tea for Rhys) onto the table and asking if they were ready to order. They both placed their orders and within a few seconds, they were alone once more. Silence settled itself between the two men as Rhys sipped on his tea contemplatively, his eyebrows furrowing as he set the drink back onto the table.

“You know that was a really, _really_ bad idea on Friday, right?” Rhys finally found his voice once more, watching Jack with a conviction in his eyes.

Jack just smirked, “If I remember right, you didn't seem to argue about it too much.”

Rhys fought the blush. He fought it with all his might. “ _I'm serious, Jack_ ,” he insisted. “That was **really** dumb to do that in the library, of all places. If someone saw us...”

“Oh c'mon, _no one_ saw us. That library is always dead on Fridays.”

“ _Still!_ ”

Rhys felt his face crawl into a small scowl, not daring to look away from Jack until he admitted, in some form or fashion, that he had a point. A very good and fair point at that.

Jack sighed, “Okay then, fine. What would you have _rather_ happened, princess?”

“I would've much rather you told me to come to your place--” Rhys immediately found his voice stopping, his lips pursing rather quickly as he realized what he'd just said without thinking. Rhys swiftly covered his mouth, his eyes wide. That just came out. And now he was left in this momentary limbo of silence as Jack's expression slowly but surely grew amused.

Suddenly, Jack burst out into laughter, very obviously pleased and triumphant in his own smug sort of way.

Rhys knew his face was probably red as a tomato as he protested past the hand on his mouth, “Shut. Up.”

“Why didn't you say so sooner?” Jack finally managed past his tapering chuckles. “That can be arranged, you know.”

Dammit. Rhys had to try and backpedal here, that really wasn't what he wanted to say. Now or ever. Well, maybe it _was_ what he wanted to say, but it definitely wasn't what **_needed_ ** to be said right then. And absolutely not out loud.

“That's-- that's not—”

“ _What you meant?_ ” Jack finished Rhys' sentence, reaching forward and grabbing his cup of coffee. He swished it around gently, a smug smirk on his face as he winked at Rhys, “Nah, I think that's _exactly_ what you meant, cupcake. Nice try, though.”

Rhys wasn't going to even try saying anything more. He's afraid if he did, he might say something else completely and totally embarrassing. Maybe he'd admit to the countless times he's masturbated to Jack while he was at it. He grabbed his tea once more, now drinking it down with a purpose and a vengeance.

Not a moment later, Jack was leaning closer across the table, his head on his entwined fingers as he asked, “Got any plans for the rest of the day?”

The sudden question made Rhys swallow wrong, the tea getting caught in his windpipe as he pulled the cup away from his lips. He coughed, nearly spilling the tea before he set it down on the table. Rhys tried to recover as best he could, his eyes watering slightly as his throat burned from swallowing wrong. Was Jack asking-- no, _suggesting_ what he thought he was suggesting?

Another moment passed as he recovered, swallowing with slight difficulty, “You gave us homework, remember? And I have to study.”

That just got a scoff out of Jack as he waved away his words, “Oh _please_ , you've got the rest of the week. Midterm isn't until Friday.”

Pushing his lips together, Rhys cleared his throat before responding, “Why? Exactly?”

Jack's smile seemed to grow, “I'll get right to the point. We could go back to my place or yours. Whichever. Pick up where we left off on Friday. I don't like _unfinished business_ , you know.”

So it was _exactly_ what Rhys thought it might've been. And Rhys didn't know whether he was happy he was right... Or **_absolutely_ ** flustered. Maybe both. Definitely both. With a side of terrified. Rhys looked away from Jack, opting to study a gaudy portrait of a painting on the wall behind Jack.

“I-I don't really, uh...” Rhys tried, taking a slow breath. “M-maybe _not_ today.”

“Maybe not today?” Jack repeated. “The hell's _that_ supposed to mean?”

Rhys shook his head, returning his eyes back to Jack, “I don't know, I just... I'm not sure.”

Jack leaned back into his chair, his arms crossing over his chest, “So is that a yes or a no. It's a simple question, Rhys.”

“No,” Rhys felt the word tumble form his lips, regret already beginning to pool in his chest.

 _Why the hell did he just say no?_ Jack had just offered Rhys _everything_ he'd been wanting for the past two months or so, and here he was just throwing it away. Why was he doing that? Was it because he was scared? Of what, though? They'd already broken the rules as it was with what little had happened. If they bent it a little further, then...

Jack looked and sounded disappointed as he gave a half-hearted shrug, “Alright, alright, have it your way. At least let me drive you home.”

Now Rhys was starting to rethink everything. He admitted to himself now that _yes_ , he was scared to move any further in... Whatever this 'relationship' was with his teacher. But should he be? Wasn't this what he'd wanted?

Rhys just nodded, looking away from Jack as he got lost in his thoughts.

***

The hum of the car roared to life as Jack turned the ignition. The rest of their lunch together hadn't been too entirely interesting. After Rhys had shot down Jack's offer, Rhys had been regretting it ever since, making him much more quiet than he would've been otherwise. He kept asking himself whether it was too late to change his mind or not. Surely it wasn't.

Slowly, Rhys turned his attention over to Jack as they pulled out of the parking lot, heading back towards Rhys' apartment. It wouldn't be a very long drive, so Rhys knew he didn't have much time to admit that he changed his mind. His eyes trailed down to see Jack's right hand settled on the handle of the stick to change gears, Jack seeming to take notice of Rhys' gaze a few seconds later.

Rhys turned his eyes back up to Jack for just a moment before looking back at his hand. As they came to a stoplight, Rhys made a bold decision in that moment. A decision that felt like a _much_ better alternative to admitting out loud he changed his mind. Instead, he wanted to _show_ Jack he changed his mind.

Feeling Jack's eyes still on him, he reached forward with his left hand and grasped onto Jack's, his hand releasing without resistance from the automatic stick shift and being led by Rhys' hand. The car seemed to be deadly silent beyond the small drone of the radio in the background as Rhys placed Jack's hand onto his thigh, looking up tentatively to watch Jack's expression. Jack looked like he was in a trance of sorts, curious as Rhys moved his hand further into his inner thigh.

Jack took the hint. Taking over, Jack moved his hand upward, finding Rhys' bulge and beginning to rub his palm over his clothed member, his fingers tracing the clear outline much to Rhys' pleasure. At that, Rhys could feel his legs spreading in response, more than pleased that Jack hadn't objected in the slightest, eagerly obliging even.

“I thought you said not today,” Jack began quietly, his tone teasing as a smile played at his lips. The light turned green, prompting Jack to turn his attention back to the road, but his hand continued to massage Rhys' growing hardness.

Already, Rhys was enjoying this far too much. He bit at his lower lip, rolling it between his teeth as he smiled over at Jack, his voice low and filled with an increasing lust, “Maybe I changed my mind.”

“... _Fuck it_ ,” Jack growled, removing his hand from Rhys’ crotch as he made the next turn quite sharply, much to Rhys’ surprise and, quite frankly, confusion.

It took Rhys a moment to realize that Jack had turned into a large, vacant parking lot of a store that had been on sale for several months now, seemingly no one interested in buying the lot. But it soon made sense as Jack put the car into park to the side of the building and turned it off. They were relatively hidden from view at this angle and there was little to no sign of any kind of activity around this area.

“Get in the back,” Jack urged as he unbuckled his seatbelt before reaching past Rhys, his fingers fiddling with the handle of the glove box.

“W-wait, _what?_ ” Rhys began, feeling frozen right where he sat and feeling as though his chest was doing little flips.

Not a moment later, Jack opened the hatch of the glove box and reached within, pulling out a condom packet and a small bottle of liquid lube. Immediately, Rhys understood and his eyes went wide, heat taking over his face.

“Why do you have th- _that_ in…” Rhys trailed off as Jack slammed the glove box shut once more, moving his attention back over to Rhys who still hadn't moved an inch from where he sat.

“I like to be prepared,” Jack said simply, a small smile on his face. “Now get your pretty little ass in the back.”

Rhys didn’t wait another moment. He unbuckled himself and began to climb into the back, a feat that was a little more difficult and awkward than he would’ve liked thanks to his long legs. But he finally managed it and Jack was soon climbing back after him.

Normally, Rhys wouldn’t _dare_ consider doing something like this in a car out in public. Nor did he ever imagine this happening with Jack, of all people. But Rhys knew the windows on Jack’s car were tinted enough and this particular parking lot rarely had any company. Besides, there was something about this entire situation that was exhilarating, perhaps even more so than the day at the library. He was about to have sex with Jack in the back of his car.

_Holy shit._

Before Rhys could ponder it any further, he felt the weight of Jack on top of him, their lips meeting in a hurried and much needed kiss. Albeit a tight fit, the backseat wasn’t as uncomfortable as Rhys thought it would be, the close quarters making it all the better, in his opinion. It seemed somewhere along the way Jack had removed his glasses, Rhys’ hands dragging across Jack’s cheeks before they were slipping through his dark locks of hair.

Rhys allowed Jack’s tongue to penetrate into his mouth, savoring the very flavor and taste of the older man, not realizing until now how much he missed this. Last time was _far_ too brief. This time, he would make sure it would last.

Rhys felt a sharp burst of air enter his nose as he felt a rough press against his member, realizing that Jack’s hand resumed its earlier motions, rubbing in a vertical motion in a teasing fashion.

“You’re already _so hard_ , Rhysie,” Jack muttered against Rhys’ lips before devouring them once more.

A deep rumbling groan forced itself from his throat as Jack wasted no time undoing his pants, tugging them down enough to free his pleading member. Rhys could feel himself leaning into every part of Jack, his lips suckling at Jack’s and his hips curving into his touch. Jack smiled against Rhys’ lips, taking his eagerness as his cue to begin pumping Rhys’ length.

A drawn out moan was elicited from Rhys’ lungs, words sliding in between slick kisses, “ _Jack_ , please. _Please._ ”

Rhys could feel his grip in Jack’s hair grow tighter as Jack allowed his pumps to grow stronger and much more fluid, but it didn’t last, much to Rhys' displeasure. In fact, Jack stopped moving his grip along Rhys’ length altogether as he pulled away, causing Rhys to let a minuscule whimper leave his lips.

“Shit, I love it when you say my name,” Jack hissed in a rushed whisper. “I’m gonna make you scream my name.”

Before Rhys could grow too impatient, Jack was traveling downward, his free hand pushing itself beneath the fabric of Rhys’ sweater. His fingertips explored Rhys’ flat stomach, brushing over the skin there with feather light touches that made Rhys shiver. The next moment, Rhys felt Jack’s lips lingering on Rhys’ neck, to which Rhys found his voice of protest.

“You better not leave anymore marks on me,” Rhys growled, to which Jack just gave Rhys’ dick a tight squeeze.

“I’ll put a mark on _every_ goddamn inch of your skin,” Jack breathed, his hot breath spreading along Rhys’ neck before he gave a quick suckle that made Rhys groan as his skin ached.

He swore, if that made yet _another_ stupid mark, Rhys was gonna be pissed at Jack for it. Although, in this moment, he wasn’t sure he could find his right mind to really care all that much. And he was sure that Jack didn't care either. That would be an issue for future Rhys to worry about. Right now, he was far too enraptured in the way Jack moved about his body, his fingers brushing against his aching nipples and the minute movements along Rhys' erection.

“Sit up, pumpkin,” Jack demanded, pulling away slightly much to Rhys' displeasure. But Rhys complied through the haze of his lust, awkwardly scooting up into a passable sitting position, his back leaning a bit uncomfortably against the car door.

Slowly, Jack moved back somewhat, giving him the room he needed to allow himself to come level with Rhys' dick. Rhys just barely looked down to see what Jack was doing when a burst of warm pleasure seared through his body, the wet and hot feeling of Jack's lips surrounding Rhys' swollen head making him shiver in delight.

“ _Oh shit_ ,” Rhys felt the words slip from his lips, his body tensing up as Jack slowly took more of him into his mouth. A gentle moan filled the car as Rhys carded his flesh fingers through Jack's hair, paying extra attention to that wonderful grey streak before bundling the strands into his tight grip.

A humming chuckle could be felt as Jack took in most of Rhys' length, Jack's tongue swirling along each of the sides and underside, his cheeks hollowing as he sucked hard. Rhys threw his head back, the coolness of the glass against his hair a welcome sensation as another sound of pleasure left his lungs.

Now Jack was moving about his entire length, up and down in wonderful bobs that left Rhys seeing stars behind his eyelids as they were squeezed shut.

“ _J-Jack_ , oh God,” Rhys breathed heavily, hardly able to keep his grasp on reality at this point. He was on cloud fucking nine, Jack's mouth was heaven on earth and his tongue his wonderful savior. It teased and prodded at the little slit of his head before encircling it. He even teased the edge of his teeth along the tip, causing Rhys to shiver as he was dragging them up gently before he took all of him into his mouth once more.

As his head hit the back of Jack's throat, he was sent into an entirely new euphoria, a loud groan dredging its way up and out of his lungs. It reverberated throughout the car, hitting Jack's ears and making his efforts double. He moved his head up and down Rhys' entire length, allowing the head to hit the back of his throat again and again.

“ _Jack--!_ I-I'm _gonna..!_ ” Rhys could barely get the words out between ragged gasps, feeling that familiar feeling of unbearable heat pooling within his lower torso. He could feel his body clench as he gasped, reeling in the precipice of his orgasm. But it never came, Jack's lips sliding off his member with a slick and wet pop.

“Not _yet_ you're not,” Jack mumbled lazily as he looked up to Rhys, their eyes meeting and something not unlike electricity flowing through Rhys' veins. “Only way you're cumming is with me _inside_ you.”

That was all Rhys needed to hear. Greedily, Rhys' hands were reaching forward as Jack sat up more properly, undoing his belt and his pants soon following. Jack was already extremely hard, Rhys eagerly reaching into his undergarment and freeing his erection. As much as Rhys wanted Jack to be inside him, he wanted to relish in this moment. It was a moment he'd only dreamt about before, Jack's girth and length everything he imagined and more. He wasn't overly huge, just somewhat bigger than Rhys even, but he was _definitely_ thick and Rhys knew it would be a painful start, yet he wouldn't have it any other way.

“Like what ya see?” Jack's husky voice snapped Rhys away from his admiration, his flesh hand stilling for just a moment as he flickered his gaze up to Jack's. Jack only grinned widely. “Because I like what _I_ see much more than you do. _Trust me._ ”

How did Jack know exactly what to say to set a new fire into Rhys every time? He couldn't wait any longer. Rhys needed Jack to be inside of him. Now.

“Where's the condom?” Rhys asked hurriedly, his eyes searching about before Jack was leaning into the passenger seat, retrieving both the little blue packet and the small bottle of lube. Without a word, Jack unwrapped the condom, beginning to prepare to put it over his length when Rhys stopped him with his metal hand.

“Wait,” Rhys said suddenly, taking a few deep breaths as Jack froze, watching him curiously. “I want to do it. _Please_.”

Tilting his head back, a small chuckle left Jack's lips as he pulled his hands away, the condom just barely rolled onto the tip of his swollen head. Rhys didn't waste time before he was dragging the condom the rest of the way down, a self satisfied smile on his lips.

As Rhys deemed it done, Jack hooked his fingers into Rhys' jeans and boxers, scooting back slightly as he tugged them down. Rhys obliged, pulling his legs in until both articles of clothing slipped off his form and were on the floorboard not a second later.

“Goddamn, Rhysie,” Jack breathed as he settled onto his knees, stopping to admire Rhys for a few moments. “You look fuckin' _perfect_.”

As if Rhys wasn't blushing enough being in such a compromising position, Jack just had to go and say that. _What an ass._

“Shut up,” was all Rhys could manage, his voice wavering. Despite his words, he was smiling, trying to fight both it and the blush. But it was a battle he couldn't win. Jack just laughed.

Reaching down to the floorboard, Jack grabbed the bottle of lube, flicking it open and squeezing out a generous amount before he tossed the bottle to the side. He wasted no time in coating his erection, using his other equally coated fingers to prod at Rhys' tight hole. Rhys could feel a sharp gasp rush past his parted lips as he spread his legs further apart, as far as they could go given the small amount of space there was to work with.

“M-more,” Rhys pleaded, only feeling the very tip of Jack's index finger within him. Jack obliged, slipping his slick finger all the way within Rhys.

A gentle breath left Rhys' mouth as Jack began pumping his finger in and out of him, soon adding a second digit and spreading him further.

“ _Shit_ , you're tight,” Jack murmured, continuing his movements as he leaned forward, claiming the younger man's lips.

Rhys was only barely able to return the kiss, far too enraptured in the fullness he was already feeling. A moan rumbled at his throat as Jack pulled away, both his fingers and lips now sorely missed in their sudden absence. But Rhys knew what was coming now. And shit, he was more ready than ever before.

The next moment, Rhys could feel the large head of Jack's length prodding at his entrance, Rhys' hands grabbing at the upholstery of the leather seats either side of him as Jack pressed deeper within him. He bit his lip, eyes sewing shut as he tried to relax, but the pain made it difficult.

“A-ah!” Rhys felt Jack slip within him suddenly, a sharp gasp being pulled into his throat. It was painful but God was it the **_best_ ** kind of pain imaginable.

_Ring ring. Ring ring._

Before Jack could press himself any deeper into Rhys, the very distinct sound of a phone ringing caught them both off guard. Immediately they both froze, but it didn't take Jack long to move into action, slipping out of Rhys as he reached into the front seat to grab his phone.

Rhys was more than just a _little_ disappointed. In fact, he was maybe a little mad, even. Couldn't he just have ignored the call? Wasn't this more important than taking a fucking phone call?

Rhys was about to open his mouth to argue but Jack answered the phone in a rushed but gentle tone, “Hey Angel baby, daddy's busy, make it quick.”

His words were absolutely what Rhys didn't expect. Did Jack... _Have a daughter?_ Either that or someone had a daddy kink. And he wasn't sure which was more surprising. Rhys felt awkwardly out of place now, coming out of the haze of the heated moment and just sitting there with legs still spread, watching as Jack's expression slowly changed to one of worry.

“ _Shit_ ,” Jack swore quietly, barely even a hissing whisper, before he was responding into the phone once more. “Yeah, yeah, I'll be there soon, sit tight. Love you.”

Almost immediately after Jack hung up, Rhys asked, “Who was that?”

“My daughter,” Jack responded, removing the slick condom from his member before leaning back and redoing his pants a bit uncomfortably. “She's sick, apparently. _Really_ sick. I gotta pick her up from school.”

Rhys was, well... He was a large mixture of things in that moment. For one, he was extremely disappointed that they had to stop what they were doing. Especially when they'd gotten so close. Rhys was harder than ever and they had to just... _Stop_. On top of everything, Rhys learned that Jack had a daughter. Which had bigger implications the more Rhys thought about it. And he wasn't sure he liked that he found out right as he just had Jack's dick inside him.

The sudden sensation of Jack's lips on Rhys' pulls him away from his thoughts, the kiss a quick and reassuring one. It lasted only a moment before Jack pulled away, “We'll just have to do this another time, cupcake.”

Rhys could only nod silently before Jack was climbing back up into the front, leaving Rhys alone in the back. He hesitated only a moment before he was grabbing his clothes and pulling them back onto himself, his mind still reeling from this revelation. He couldn't even bring himself to say anything about it. It was definitely uncomfortable having been near the point of his orgasm but that wasn't the biggest thing on his mind right then.

As Jack started up the car once more, Rhys climbed into the front seat. Jack pulled out of the empty parking lot, looking over to Rhys for a moment before saying, “I'll drop you off before I go pick her up.”

Once more, Rhys only nodded silently. The _entire_ mood changed. All Jack seemed to be focused on was getting to his daughter and Rhys was still fixated on the very fact that he _had_ a daughter. Should he have been so fixated on it?

Even as Jack dropped Rhys off and even as he made his way into his apartment, it still lingered on his mind.

“Oh, hey Rhys!” Vaughn said with a smile as he looked up at his friend. He was sat on the floor, one of Minx's toys in his hand and Minx not far from him.

“ _Hey_ buddy,” came Rhys' response, sounding not as upbeat as he wanted to. He tried to give Vaughn a small smile, but he knew it came out forced. And Vaughn definitely noticed.

With furrowed eyebrows, Vaughn lowered the stringed toy as he studied Rhys, “Everything okay there, man? You look a little... _Weirded out._ ”

Rhys just sighed, shrugging a bit, “Long day. Lots of homework. Y'know, midterms... I'll be in my room.”

Without waiting for a response from Vaughn, Rhys turned and made his way into his bedroom, dragging out the study guide Jack had given them earlier and forcing himself to focus on it. As best as he could, anyway. Which was difficult, considering all the questions that now ran through his mind.

If Jack had a daughter, then surely that meant Jack had a wife? Or a girlfriend, at the very least. Maybe even a fiance. And if _that_ was the case... Could it have been that Jack was playing him this whole time?

Rhys didn't want to think about it any longer. So he didn't. Instead, he buried himself into his homework because if he thought about it anymore, he'd just feel even more hurt than he already was.

 


	12. Clear the air

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rhys ends up feeling like an ass and Vaughn thinks his friend could still be in trouble.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yikes, this update took a while. Simply because I've been weighed down with other stuff. I am still ahead a few chapters, but it's getting a bit too close for my comfort, so the updates are probably gonna start slowing down. Good news is I've got a majority of the rest of the story planned out, so yay! Again, thank you all for the support!!

Wednesday had eventually rolled around. Between the events of Monday and today, Rhys had expected at least _some_ kind of text or maybe even a call from Jack about the whole thing. But instead, he got absolutely _nothing_. The rational part of Rhys' mind reassured him that he was probably busy taking care of his daughter, being that she was sick. But the not so rational part was insistent that he was avoiding Rhys and that made him impatient, grumpy, and itching to have some sort of explanation.

Rhys settled pretty early on that he wasn't mad or upset about the fact that Jack had a daughter. It was just the implications that arose with that fact. It meant that it was very possible that Jack had a wife or a girlfriend he'd neglected to even mention in passing. And the more Rhys thought about it, the more upset he got over it.

He wanted to talk to Jack face to face about it. He needed to see Jack's face, read his expression and hear his voice. There needed to be no doubts in his mind as to whether Jack was telling him the truth or not when he confronted him about it.

Unsurprisingly, Jack taught class as usual that day. Rhys was starting to learn that Jack had a knack for acting as though nothing was out of the ordinary, that he _hadn't_  just barely stuck his dick inside one of his students days prior. And when Rhys thought of it like that, it really, _really_ did sound bad. Being back in class reminded him of their situation.

But that was a conversation that would have to wait. They needed to clear the air on the current situation at hand.

Patiently, Rhys waited for the rest of the students to vacate the room, busying himself with the study guide Jack had given out to the class. It took less than five minutes for both him and Jack to be alone within the lecture hall, that being the cue for Rhys to begin packing up his things. Apprehension and dread threatened to swell within his chest, but he ignored it. He was past that at this point and he just wanted answers.

“Why didn't you say something about your daughter?” Rhys asked suddenly, perhaps sounding a bit accusatory in his quiet irritation.

Jack stopped his motions as he was wiping the whiteboard clean of its writing, turning to eye Rhys with the hint of offense in his tone, “She's feeling much better, _thanks for caring to ask._ ”

That backfired a bit on Rhys and he realized it too late. Now on top of it all, he felt bad for not being considerate enough. There goes his tact, right out the window. Oh but he was being selfish, _wasn't he?_

“I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that,” Rhys conceded, kicking himself a bit.

Silence passed over Jack's lips as he returned to the task of wiping the whiteboard, finally responding as he finished and set the eraser down, “Then how the hell _did_ you mean it?”

Rhys grit his teeth slightly, trying to start over, to start right, “What I meant was... It caught me off guard, was all. Because you having a daughter, that means...” Rhys trailed off, unsure how to word this. It'd been on his mind the entire past couple days and now he didn't know how to explain it. He probably should've planned this out better but it was hard to do that when his mind was stuck in a rut of worry and doubt.

“ _Look_ , Rhys,” Jack started once more as he turned to look at the younger man with a tired but hard gaze. “I get it. I know what you're thinking, but you're wrong. If you're worried about her mother, then you _really_ shouldn't be. You're wastin' your time worrying, if ya catch my drift.”

Slowly, Rhys could feel his eyes widen somewhat, the realization beginning to dawn upon him. He'd assumed... Now he felt like a complete asshole. This _whole time_ , he was worried for nothing because it seemed that Jack was a single father.

“Shit, I-I--” Rhys started, trying, _trying_ , and failing to find the right words. “I thought... I'm sorry, I was afraid you were...”

Jack scoffed, “Do you think that if my wife was still around that I'd stick my dick in you?”

Immediately, Rhys felt his hands covering his face, a blush of pure and total embarrassment threatening his cheeks, “ _God_ , Jack, I'm **so** sorry, I just assumed...”

“You know what they say about assuming,” Jack muttered with a chuckle, Rhys distantly aware that Jack had just turned what he'd said in an email some time ago right against him. A small silence settled into the atmosphere before he heard a small sigh from Jack, the feeling of the older man's hands gently grasping Rhys' wrists and pulling his hands away from his face.

“That _wasn't_ how I wanted you to find out about my daughter,” Jack said quietly, the smallest hint of a solemn smile playing at the corner of his lips. “But guess it's too late for that.”

Swallowing roughly, Rhys opened his mouth to respond when the muffled sound of his phone going off stopped him short. Rhys met with Jack's eyes for a solid moment before Jack was letting go of his wrists, Rhys apologizing as he pulled out his phone from his bag.

It was Vaughn. _Not_ the best timing, Vaughn. Then he realized that Vaughn was probably calling about lunch. He'd promised that they'd go out and get something after he was done with class today. He pursed his lips as he muted the call, making a mental note to call him back after he wasn't so distracted by his professor.

With a raised eyebrow, Jack asked, “What, don't like 'em?”

“Oh, uh, _well_ ,” Rhys started a bit nervously, with honestly no idea why he was even nervous in the first place. “I was just gonna call him back after I left...”

“ _Him?_ ” Jack asked slowly, his arms coming to cross over his chest. His expression was strangely dubious and full of suspicion.

“Yeah, him, he's just a friend that I'm meeting for lunch,” Rhys explained, feeling himself shift a bit under Jack's intense gaze. What the hell was even happening?

“Alright,” Jack responded with a shrug. “ _Who's_ your friend?”

“Vaughn. His name's Vaughn.”

Suddenly, Jack was acting... Odd. His expression quickly turned unimpressed, his lip curling up as his eyebrows furrowed in thoughts that Rhys couldn't even possibly be privy to. What Rhys _wouldn't_ give to know what was going on in Jack's head...

Jack finally found his voice once more, his tone guarded, “ _Vaughn_ , huh? Well, **_I_** was actually going to take you out to lunch but uh, guess you've already got plans. _With Vaughn._ ”

Was Jack... _Annoyed?_ Rhys could definitely pick up some hints of annoyed undertones in Jack's voice and hell, if Rhys didn't know any better... Jack seemed to be acting _jealous_. Maybe he was reading this wrong. It wouldn't be the first time, that's for sure. But something about the way he kept looking at him just kept sending up flags slathered in green in his mind.

“We'll have lunch another day, promise,” Rhys reassured Jack as best he could, trying to ignore Jack's attitude in the process. “What about tomorrow?”

Jack shrugged, his prominent eyebrows raising, “Yeah, alright, sure.”

Rhys felt his own brow knit together, “We need to talk too.”

“About?”

“About us,” Rhys said with a small sigh, feeling his feet shifting a bit.

Jack remained silent for just a split moment before he was turning away from Rhys and settling into his seat at his desk, “Fine. Better be ready for your midterm though. It's gonna be a hard one.”

Pursing his lips tightly, Rhys just watched as Jack began going through some papers on his desk, seeming to completely ignore Rhys now. Was Jack really _that_ upset about not getting to go to lunch with Rhys? Part of him wanted to stay and ask Jack about it, but he knew Vaughn was waiting on him. He'd already ignored his call as it was, prolonging things wouldn't make it any better. Not to mention, he was sure he wouldn't get much out of Jack anyway.

So with one last look, Rhys turned and made his way out of the lecture hall with mixed feelings abound.

***

“Yeah, apparently my mom got tickets to a cruise and didn't bother telling me until just today. She didn't even invite me! Can you believe that?!”

“ _Ouch_ , buddy. But hey, at least we got to spend time together, right? Or would you rather be on a cruise than staying with me? Is _that_ what you're saying?”

Rhys took another bite of his sandwich, watching in amusement as Vaughn grew flustered, trying to recover from how he just made his situation sound.

“No!” Vaughn said with a scowl. “Come on, don't be like that, Rhys.”

Rhys swallowed his food before snorting, “Hey man, _you're_ the one that's upset about it.”

“Because she didn't even tell me and invited some douchebag she's dating over her own son, **_that's_ ** why I'm so upset about it,” Vaughn emphasized, pushing his nearly empty plate away from himself. He crossed his arms, giving a small shrug, “It's whatever though. You're right. At least we get to spend time together instead.”

“ _Eugh_ , y'know,” Rhys began slowly, also pushing his plate back and leaning onto the table. “Now that you said that back to me? Out loud? That sounds _really_ cheesey.”

“You said it first,” Vaughn argued back, the ghost of a smile on his lips. “So don't look at me.”

Rhys laughed, “You didn't have to repeat it.”

Vaughn just scoffed at that, shaking his head as he did so. A small silence passed between the two friends before Vaughn was speaking once more, “Oh yeah, so... What was _up_ with you the other day?”

Oh. Right. Rhys realized that he never even really told Vaughn about what happened on Monday. He didn't say a single thing about coming so close to getting fucked by Jack nor about the whole daughter thing.

Rhys could feel his teeth grit in slight apprehension, “Do you _really_ want to know?”

“If I didn't want to know, I wouldn't have asked,” Vaughn said with the slight raise of an eyebrow.

Sighing lightly, Rhys looked around their immediate area (only a few other people were seated around them in the small restaurant) before he leaned over the table, Vaughn taking the hint and leaning forward himself. Rhys pushed his lips together tightly for a single more moment before he took a deep breath.

“So Jack took me out to lunch on Monday and, well... Me and Jack almost... Had sex.”

Suddenly, Vaughn was leaning back quickly within his chair, exclaiming a bit too loudly, “ _What the hell?! **Already?!**_ ”

“ _Hey!_ ” Rhys hissed, glancing to the side to see they'd attracted a few eyes their way. “ _Shh!_ ”

Vaughn tried to compose himself before he leaned over the table once more, his voice much quieter, “Sorry, but... What the _hell_ , Rhys?”

Waving him off, Rhys continued now at a more normal tone, “That's not the point, the point is I found out that he has a daughter. _During_.”

Rhys definitely didn't feel too encouraged as Vaughn's eyes widened slightly behind his glasses, “ _Oh._.. Does that mean he's...?”

So even Vaughn seemed to jump to that conclusion. At least Rhys could feel relieved he wasn't the only one that immediately went to that thought.

“No,” Rhys said, relief palpable in his voice. “Apparently his wife isn't around anymore.”

Vaughn himself looked to be relieved, a smile on his face, “ _Phew_ , oh, well **that's** good to hear! Glad you won't be ruining a marriage along with your schooling career!”

Oh, that was pure and spiteful sarcasm. Rhys could feel his features turn into an annoyed pout, “You're not helping.”

“Rhys, you've **_got_ ** to sort this out,” Vaughn chided him, his previous smiling demeanor fading fast. “You can't just keep doing what you're doing.”

Rhys felt his shoulders scrunch up, “No one's caught us yet...”

“ _Yet!_ That's not a good thing!” Vaughn hissed. “Rhys. This is _seriously_ , seriously bad.”

Leave it to his best friend to outline all the bad in plain bold letters. Sighing, Rhys let his face fall into his hands as he shook his head, “I know, _I know!_ I'm going to talk to him about it tomorrow.”

“Talk to him? Or _'talk'_ to him?”

Pulling his hands away, Rhys scowled, “ _Just_ talk to him.”

Vaughn looked defeated in that moment, a careful sigh escaping his lips as he shook his head in disapproving movements, “You better, man. Because that job opportunity you told me about with Hyperion? The one you've wanted even before the day I met you? _Poof._ It'll be gone if this gets out.”

“I know!” Rhys growled, not at all pleased that Vaughn was saying exactly what he didn't want to hear. But then again, maybe that was good. He didn't want to hear it... But that didn't mean he didn't _need_ to hear it. “ _Okay?_ I know.”

Pausing, Vaughn reached forward for his half empty glass before taking a quick swig of the water, “Does he even realize that he's putting his job on the line?”

That took Rhys a moment to think over. Surely he did... He should've known better than anyone the dangers of having a relationship with a student. His own student, at that. Rhys just shrugged, “I don't know, he hasn't even really said anything about us.”

“Well that's gotta change.”

“It will. Like I said, I'll talk to him tomorrow.”

Vaughn took another idle drink before he shook his head, “Good luck on that.”

Turning his eyes to the side away from Vaughn, Rhys just sighed, “Yeah. _I'll need it._ ”

 


	13. Don't stop

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rhys promised to himself and Vaughn to just talk things out with Jack. But this isn't the kind of talking he had in mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wooo this chapter is all kinds of NSFW, just what we've been wanting from the start amirite. Hope you all enjoy! Like I've said before, updates are definitely gonna slow down, I need to play a lot of catch up to keep ahead ;u;

Rhys didn't know for sure what that Thursday would hold in store for him (there was no predicting _anything_ when Jack Lawrence was in the equation), so Rhys had been sure to stay up quite late studying the previous night. In fact, he hadn't gotten to bed until around four in the morning, finally having to call it quits on the studying once Vaughn woke up for a pee break to find him still up. Vaughn, in addition with his own sleepiness, were both _pretty_ persuasive forces that finally pushed him into bed.

With all that considered, he didn't like the fact that his phone was ringing loudly practically right in his ear that next morning. He almost considered ignoring the call and just rolling over to fall back asleep. But somehow, against that judgment, he reached over and grabbed his phone, answering it without even bothering to look at the caller ID.

“.. _Yeah?_ ” came Rhys' groggy and sluggish answer, his eyes still glued shut.

Suddenly, a laugh, familiar and bouncy, filled the other end of the line. Rhys recognized that laugh. It was Jack. Rhys felt his eyes fly open immediately as he sat up, not expecting Jack to call.

“Mornin' sunshine,” Jack chortled into the line, sounding beyond amused. “No wonder why you wouldn't answer my texts.”

“Wh-what?” Rhys murmured as he pulled his phone away from his ear, watching it light up and seeing several text notifications from Jack, waiting to be answered. He silently cursed as he noted the time. It was nearly twelve in the afternoon. He'd slept way, _way_ too long.

“--thinking you were ignoring me.” Jack's voice came rumbling into Rhys' ear once more as he brought the phone back up.

Rhys shook his head, trying to clear the sleep from his eyes as he squeezed them shut, “No, I was asleep. Stayed up all night studying.”

Rhys wished he could stop the impending yawn from escaping, but he couldn't. He tried to stifle it as best he could, not wanting Jack to dare make a comment over it.

“Oh. Well _good_ ,” Jack settled smugly, not seeming to notice the yawn. “Now get your ass out of bed and get ready, I'm pulling up now.”

In a split moment, Rhys was attempting to get up from his bed, trying to push the covers away from him, “ _What?!_ You're **_here?!_** ”

“Yeah, so?”

Growling, Rhys battled with the covers a moment more before he was standing, nearly tripping in the process. Rhys was going to kill him. He needed time to shower and get dressed, and Jack was _already_ here? That was just unfair.

“ _So!_ ” Rhys began, rushing into his bathroom to begin running the water in the tub. “A little more _warning_ next time! You'll have to wait, I'm taking a shower.”

Without waiting for a response, Rhys quickly hung up, but immediately fumbled his phone as he pulled it away from his ear. His eyes widened in horror as he tried to grab the phone before it landed in the tub with his mechanical hand, just barely clamping it into his metal fingers. With wide eyes, he quickly pulled his phone back away from the danger of the water.

“ _Shit_ that was close...” Rhys sighed, feeling as though he'd just had a mini heart attack.

With that crisis averted, Rhys turned around and set it onto the counter near the sink, proceeding to undress as he did so. He didn't even want to go through the trouble of removing his mechanical arm, knowing it would only waste more time. It wasn't necessary anyway, the arm was built to withstand water, but he'd always preferred to have it off during showers.

Nonetheless, he was out of the shower within five minutes, grabbing a towel and drying himself off before wrapping it around his waist.

As Rhys stepped out from the bathroom, he heard a voice he absolutely didn't expect to hear right then, “Well, _hello_ there.”

“Jack?! W-w-what the hell are you--?!” Rhys stuttered, eyes wide as he saw Jack settled onto his bed, looking over at Rhys with a wide and self-satisfied grin taking over his face. Rhys suddenly felt vulnerable as he ducked back into the bathroom, hiding himself behind the bathroom door. Which, if Rhys was being perfectly honest, he wasn't sure why. Jack had already seen the majority of Rhys' body before. And now he just saw the rest of it.

Jack laughed quite heartily as he stood from the bed, crossing his arms over his chest, “I think modesty is long gone out the window for ya at this point, Rhysie.”

Rhys pushed his lips together into a tight line, sure that a blush was burning on his face. He glared at Jack as he responded, “It's the _principle_ of the matter, Jack.”

That got a shrug out of the older man, “Ain't no principles when it comes to nudity.”

“Do you have no dignity?” Rhys asked as he shied further behind the door, not really expecting an answer. But of course, Jack had to give one anyway. He always did.

“Oh, I've got _plenty_ of dignity,” Jack mused with a growing smirk, his legs bringing him closer to the door that Rhys was using as his shield. He leaned against the door frame, now not even a foot away from Rhys. “But not all the time.”

Rhys felt himself tucking his body even further behind the door, now only his face visible beyond the slight crack, “Ugh, can you just-- let me get dressed?”

“I'm not stopping you from getting dressed,” Jack hummed playfully, eyeing Rhys with an unreadable gaze. It sure as hell made Rhys' stomach do flips, though. “That just makes it more fun for me to take the clothes off you anyway.”

Rhys wasn't, absolutely _was not_ , going to imagine that scenario Jack had so kindly painted for him. He was not going to think about it in any form whatsoever. Nope. And he _definitely_ wasn't thinking that the only thing separating him from being naked against Jack was just a door and a towel. Nope.

... ** _Shit._**

“Look, what are you doing here? How did you even get in?” Rhys asked, trying to keep his mind away from much more fanciful thoughts.

At that, Jack's smirk fell, his face turning into a slight scowl, “Oh yeah. Your little _buddy?_ **_Vaughn?_** Let me in. Didn't realize he lived here with you. Also didn't realize he was so damn short.”

There it was again. That was the same tone and expression Jack held the day before when Vaughn came into the conversation. If Jack was even aware of his own attitude, he showed no signs of it.

“He's on spring break and he's been staying with me since last weekend,” Rhys informed him quickly, watching as Jack's scowl only increased. “Whatever you're thinking, _stop_ _it_. Now can you move?”

Jack shifted his weight on his feet, “What? What do you mean, _'stop it'?_ What'd I do?”

Rhys leaned forward slightly, his eyes narrowing pointedly, “You're acting weird about Vaughn. So stop it and _move_ already.”

Jack scoffed before stepping out of the way and crossing his arms once more, “Yeah, still don't know what you're talking about, but alright.”

It was obvious that Jack wasn't going to leave his room unless Rhys forced him to. And Jesus, as much as he wished he could just give into his dirty, dirty thoughts and do something, **_anything_ ** with Jack in that bedroom, he knew it definitely wouldn't bode well with Vaughn. Then again, Vaughn _had_ just let Jack waltz into his apartment and his room while he was at it.

Sighing to himself, Rhys tightened the towel around his waist before stepping out cautiously, eyes watching Jack like a hawk, “Do you _have_ to stand there and watch me?”

“Yep,” Jack confirmed with a small nod and the smirk returning in full force. His gaze raked up and down Rhys' form, drinking in the sight of the younger man.

“You know, this whole process could be a lot faster if you would just let me get dressed by myself,” Rhys suggested hopefully, reaching into his drawer to fish out clean clothes.

Jack shrugged, unabashed as he continued to stare, “I'm in no hurry. Take your time, Rhysie.”

As much as Rhys didn't want to admit it, Jack's eyes constantly on him right now was making heat pool in places it absolutely did not need to right then. He didn't need a boner now. It was the absolute worst time for one. At this rate, he was going to get one just because his body was trying to spite him, and Jack would no doubt notice right away and then...

He didn't need to think what came after _'then'_. There would be nothing after that. Because it wouldn't get that far. But Rhys' body was slowly starting to have other ideas.

“Tell ya what,” Jack began, startling Rhys somewhat as he was laying out his clothes onto his bed. Rhys turned his attention over to Jack to see he was slowly approaching, but Rhys didn't dare move. “Why not just forget the clothes?”

Rhys swallowed roughly, Jack growing ever closer, “Aren't we going to go get lunch?”

“Lunch can wait,” Jack's voice was low, deep, like sweetly melodic music to Rhys' ears. Now he was mere inches away from Rhys and he wasted no time before he was reaching forward to drag his fingertips along Rhys' bare torso, dragging his touch upwards to brush against an exposed nipple. Rhys shuddered at the touch. “Unless you really, _really_ want lunch first.”

“ _Jack_...” Rhys whined, his eyes tearing away from Jack's gaze, which was much stronger than usual thanks to his absence of glasses. He was making this so, so hard. In more ways than one. Rhys could feel himself growing more excited at just the little touches Jack was giving him, his fingers pinching and massaging the hardening skin.

“Hhm?” came the humming response from Jack's throat, watching the younger man carefully for any sign of discomfort.

Rhys took a slow breath, “I wanted to talk before... We do anything else.”

It was incredibly hard to say that and not just give into Jack's touches, the close proximity not helping in the slightest. In fact, if this went on any longer, Rhys wasn't sure if he could control himself. If Jack kept touching him like this...

“Your body seems to say otherwise.”

With widened eyes, Rhys looked down slightly, catching the smallest glimpse of the towel around his waist that was growing looser with each moment that passed. He'd already gotten a boner and the towel did nothing to hide that fact.

“ _Shit_ ,” Rhys cursed through grit teeth, bringing his hands up to try and somehow curb it, but it seemed Jack beat him to the punch.

The towel slid from his form, hitting the floor and revealing Rhys in all his naked glory, his length already quite hard and pleading. Before Rhys could say anything, Jack had his free hand wrapping around his member, stroking it gently and bidding Rhys' breath to hitch from the contact.

“Tell me to stop and I will,” Jack reminded Rhys with quiet sincerity in his tone, hints of lust clouding it. But it was there. And Rhys knew that Jack would stop if he wanted him to, but...

He didn't want him to.

“ _Don't stop_ ,” Rhys murmured as he moved forward, closing whatever distance was left between the two.

Lips suckled on one another as Jack's hand evolved in its speed and strength, pumping in hearty motions that left Rhys in a gasping and whimpering mess. His hips bucked into each stroke, craving more, wanting more.

Distantly, Rhys was aware this wasn't necessarily good. He promised Vaughn that they would talk and this is _exactly_ what he wanted to avoid until they had talked. But fuck, just Jack's presence alone was so intoxicating and made him forget all thought and reason, turning him into some instinctive and hormone driven teenager. It was something he couldn't resist and right now, in this moment, he didn't care about the consequences.

Jack hummed in approval as Rhys' tongue found its way into Jack's mouth, the slick taste of the younger man setting a fire into Jack as he devoured his lips in return.

“Yo, Rhys, I'm gonna go hang with Yvette for a while, be back later tonight!”

Suddenly, both men stopped as Vaughn shouted from the entryway, Rhys pulling away hurriedly to call back, “Alright, have fun, man!”

As the sound of the front door slammed shut, Jack grew into a fit of bubbly laughter. Rhys, confused, turned his attention back to Jack, “ _What?!_ ”

“Your face is priceless,” he finally managed past the chuckles. “But fuck it... Who needs to eat lunch anyway?”

Before Rhys could get out another word, he felt Jack pushing him somewhat roughly onto the bed and before he could even push himself up onto his elbows, Jack was on top of him. Immediately, Jack's hand resumed its task along Rhys' cock, rubbing it with a vigor and presence that wasn't there moments ago.

Part of Rhys had to wonder if Vaughn left because he knew exactly what was going to happen. It was very, very possible that was the case. He wasn't dumb. And if so, he was absolutely _not_ going to hear the end of it from Vaughn later. But, once more, future Rhys problem. For now, he was having a moan ripped out from his throat as Jack jerked off Rhys quite fervently and without hesitation.

Rhys threw his head back against the pillows of his bed, his back arching slightly as he felt Jack's lips and tongue making a trail about his collarbone.

“ _I've_ got nowhere to be for the rest of the day,” Jack spoke against the heat of Rhys' skin, his lips pausing to encompass one of his hardened nipples and giving it a light suckle. The younger man mewled in pleasure, on a high like no other as he felt himself coming to that wonderful peak of orgasmic high.

Jack licked a trail upward between each of Rhys' pecs, smirking up at Rhys as his hand grew tighter around Rhys' dick, “And _you've_ got nowhere to be for the rest of the day. So let's just fuck _all day_ , pumpkin.”

That was all Rhys needed to hear before he felt the heavy wave of his climax rolling over him. He wasn't even able to get out a warning before his cum was quickly covering his shuddering stomach, a sound of pleasure so loud and so long escaping Rhys' drying throat. Oh, it was _definitely_ a good thing Vaughn was no longer here because he, without a doubt, would've heard that. He didn't need that embarrassment right now.

“Shit, _already?_ ” Jack hummed before he moved down to drag his tongue along Rhys' torso, lapping up each strand of the creamy release. Rhys finally looked down to watch Jack, the older man's mismatched eyes locking onto the younger's with an intensity that made Rhys want to cum all over again.

Jack chuckled as he leaned down further, placing his lips in a gentle kiss at Rhys' overly sensitive head, causing him to yelp out in a cry of pleasure.

“How long till you get hard again, huh?” Jack wondered out loud, pausing to drag the tip of his tongue along the underside of Rhys' shaft, causing his body to squirm as he gasped.

 _ **Fuck**_ , Jack really knew what to do to make him crave more. Even though he'd already cum, he could feel the arousal beginning to build all over again. But he was still so sensitive, it was hard to tell if Jack was just _that_ good or it was just the overstimulation.

Either way, Rhys finally found somewhat coherent words, “Let me... Jack... _Please_...”

Hovering over Rhys, Jack smirked down at him, his eyebrows raised expectantly, “Let you _what_ , Rhysie?”

“ _Hhnn_ ,” Rhys whined quite pathetically, moving his left hand to begin trying to unhook the buckle of Jack's belt, but he was halted as Jack grabbed his wrist.

“Tell me what you want, kitten,” Jack insisted, pushing Rhys' hand into the mattress and keeping it there. “Use your words.”

This was just cruel. Surely Jack understood what Rhys wanted, didn't he? He had to. Jack was just doing this to be an ass. Even in the bedroom, he still had to maintain that status. Rhys was growing impatient as he groaned once more.

“ _Please_ ,” he moaned, the noise turning into a growl. “Don't be an ass...”

“Too late,” Jack crowed, a very obvious smile on his face as he leaned down to bury his face into Rhys' neck, his lips wrapping around the ringed tattoo there. He pulled the soft skin into his mouth, tugging at it with his teeth as he inhaled the sweet and clean scent of the younger man.

Gritting his teeth, Rhys told himself _fuck it_. He was going to throw away whatever dignity he had right now because he was growing too damn impatient with Jack's teasing.

“Jack, let me suck you. _Please_.”

That got a wide grin to plaster itself on Jack's face as he was pulling away from Rhys to stand. He began to undress himself, “That wasn't so hard, now _was_ it.”

In less than ten seconds, Jack was bare of all clothing, crawling back onto the bed and settling himself onto his back. Rhys was eager, perhaps overeager, as he settled between Jack's legs, drinking in the unobstructed sight of just... Jack. Everything about him was amazing and perfect and Rhys felt, without reserve, that it was better than he ever could've imagined.

“You look even prettier from this angle, cupcake,” Jack teased as Rhys took the older man's dick into his flesh hand, his semi-erect member already growing harder at the touch.

What could only be described as a pout formed on Rhys' face as he looked up at a Jack, “Shut up.”

Jack fell into little snickers as Rhys returned his attention to Jack's length, opening his mouth tentatively before pulling Jack's leaking head into his mouth. Already, his mouth felt quite full as he pulled more of Jack along his tongue, his eyes flickering up to see Jack was watching him with quite the pleased expression. With his hands cradling the back of his head, he looked to be enjoying himself far too much.

But that was good enough for Rhys. In fact, he _loved_ it. He wanted to please Jack, to get as much of a reaction out of him as he could. So he kept taking in more of his length, inch by inch until he could feel it threatening at the back of his throat. He hollowed his cheeks as he pulled back, dragging his tongue on the underside in back and forth motions.

“ _Damn_ , kiddo,” Jack sighed above him, the feeling of Jack's hand slipping through Rhys' damp hair sending a minute pleasure through his body. “You're even better with that mouth than I thought you'd be.”

Did that mean that Jack had imagined this particular scenario before? When? For how long? How many times? It really sent Rhys' mind into a reeling daze, causing him to pick up his pace as he bobbed along his length, tempting each time to take him deeper into his throat. It was an intoxicating thought to ponder, one that Rhys could've only dreamed possible before now.

The feeling of Jack's fingers roughly yet soothingly massaging Rhys' scalp was an incredibly welcome and pleasing sensation, urging Rhys on to press his tongue against the head of Jack's cock. The taste of fresh precum leaked onto his tongue, the flavor so, so sweet. He wanted more of it, his tongue practically lapping at the slit in hopes there would be more. It tasted so much of Jack, all of it just _Jack_ , and he could only imagine what his cum would be like. He could feel his own dick twitch in arousal at the thought.

“ _Fuck_ ,” the curse slipped out from Jack's lips as Rhys doubled his efforts, now feeling Jack's head hit the back of his throat. He pushed it down even further, taking as much as he possibly could before it became too much. But he was pulling Jack deeply into his mouth again without hesitation, deep throating him over and over. He gagged a few times, but he didn't care. The sounds Jack was making made it worth it.

“I'm gonna cum if you keep this up,” Jack warned through heavy breaths, Rhys bringing up his flesh hand to grasp at the base of his cock. He continued to move up and down the entire length, his hand adding to the pressure and practically begging Jack to release into his mouth.

With a groan, Jack began moving his hips up into Rhys' mouth, fucking into that sweet and wet orifice harder with each second that passed. His hands were now gripping tightly onto Rhys' head as he thrust his shaft into that wonderful mouth of Rhys' without any sign of stopping.

Before too long, a drawn out and rumbling groan filled the air as Rhys could feel shot after shot of Jack's sweet liquid filling his mouth. Rhys had to pull up slightly to stop from choking, being sure to take as much of it as he possibly could. The taste was better than Rhys anticipated. _Much_ better. He pulled his mouth off of Jack's dick to swallow the hot seed, smiling up at Jack in a daze as the older man attempted to catch his breath.

“Were you _jealous_ of Vaughn?” Rhys suddenly asked as he crawled upwards, his hands supporting his weight above Jack as he smirked teasingly at the older man. Now it was _his_ turn to try and mess with Jack and he wasn't sure he'd get another chance like this.

Through his orgasmic haze, Jack just huffed a chuckle, raising an eyebrow at Rhys above him, “Why would I be jealous of that shorty?”

“ **Hey** ,” Rhys warned sternly, his brow furrowing. “ _Don't_ call him that. And you were completely jealous.”

Jack's mouth twisted into an amused smirk, his hands coming up to rest at Rhys' hips, “ _When?_ I don't get jealous, pumpkin.”

Rhys tilted his head to the side, returning his smirk right back at him, “Yeah you were, _**pumpkin**_. Why else were you so pouty when I told you I was going out to lunch with Vaughn and not you?”

That got Jack's smirk to fall just slightly, “Who said I was pouty?”

“ _I did_ ,” Rhys insisted, swaying his hips just slightly, teasingly. “You were totally jealous.”

Rhys felt himself jump slightly as the sensation of Jack's hand clutching his dick caught him off guard, his still quite sensitive member pulsating as it started to grow hard once more. Rhys bit back a sound of pleasure as Jack began stroking it gingerly. He was trying to mess with Jack and here he was just getting that turned right around on him.

“Oh, Rhysie, I told you,” Jack purred playfully, his grin slowly making a comeback. “I don't _get_ jealous. I don't have to. Because as I see it? _This ass?_ ” Using his free hand, Jack reached back and gave Rhys' ass a good smack, making Rhys gasp in excitement. “Is _mine_.”

So much for trying to mess with Jack. Now Jack seemed to be messing with _him_ , the feeling of Jack's finger prodding at his tight hole.

“ _Ngh_ \-- and why do you think this ass is already yours?” Rhys continued trying to tease Jack, but the penetration of his finger was making that harder and harder. Before long, Jack had roughly worked his finger deeply inside him, the lack of proper lubrication making Rhys squirm in slight discomfort.

“Because you're gonna let me fuck it for the rest of the day and _every_ day after,” Jack hissed with lust deeply embedded in his tone, causing another bout of passion to be ignited within Rhys. “And you're gonna love every second of it, _aren't ya?_ ”

Jack needed to shut up. Rhys decided that here and now, rushing forward and pressing his lips hard against Jack's own. The feeling of a deep rumble vibrated against Rhys' lips as he realized Jack was laughing, the bastard. But Jack had basically said that he wanted Rhys to be his, day after day. _His._

**_His._ **

Rhys couldn't stop his flesh hand from snaking down to Jack's own length, grasping it firmly and willing it to become hard once more. Jack allowed a low moan to float from his throat as he moved his hips into the touch, slowly growing hard again.

“Please tell me you've got a condom and lube in here,” Jack murmured against Rhys' lips, his tongue sliding over Rhys' lower lip before Rhys pulled away.

“Of course I do,” Rhys admitted, a small blush growing on his face at the admission. But it was long past time to be coy about it anyway. “In the drawer of my nightstand there.”

“Nice and close, I like the way you think,” Jack commented teasingly, pulling his hands back to the younger man's hips as he guided Rhys off of him and onto his back on the bed. He wasted no time as he rolled to the side of the bed, opening the drawer of the nightstand to retrieve said bottle of lube and a single condom.

“Never pegged you to be the type to have this stuff lying around,” Jack teased as he settled back onto the bed, busying his hands with opening the bottle of lube and coating his fingers with the substance.

Rhys just shrugged, “Says the guy that kept the _exact_ same stuff in the glove box of his car.”

“I told you, I like to be prepared,” Jack said pointedly, moving to sit on his knees between Rhys' own legs. “Now _spread_ 'em, Rhysie.”

With a small laugh, Rhys did as he was told, spreading his legs and offering himself much more readily to Jack. Only a moment passed before Rhys felt the satisfying feeling of Jack's lubricated finger pushing deeply into Rhys' tight hole, his bottom lip being worried between his teeth as Jack pressed deeper still.

“Already hard again, huh?” the older man quipped playfully, his free hand coming up to drag a slick finger up Rhys' dick. “You want this more than you let on, cupcake.”

Opening his mouth to respond, a small moan instead escaped as Jack slipped another finger within, now stretching them and pumping them in and out of his receiving entrance. Rhys swallowed roughly as he tried to adjust to the sensation, Jack barely hesitating before he pushed yet another finger in.

“ _A-ah!_ ” Rhys cried out as Jack forced all three fingers into him, his hands grabbing at the bed sheets in tight handfuls. He screwed his eyes shut, seeing stars as Jack began pumping back and forth and forcing his hole to take all three fingers up to his knuckles.

Suddenly, Jack's hands felt bigger than he ever imagined, but he knew it would be nothing in comparison to having Jack actually inside him.

“Relax,” Jack urged with a seductive yet reassuring tone. “You gotta relax.”

Relax, _right_. That was a bit of a difficult task, but Rhys took his advice as best he could, taking shallow breaths and urging them to even out into longer breaths. But shit, Jack _wasn't_ helping by speeding up the thrusting of his fingers. Rhys felt another moan tickle his throat as he looked back down to see Jack's predatory gaze directly on his face, not flickering away for even a second.

“Jack,” Rhys groaned between short breaths, his hands curling and uncurling into the mattress, his hips swiveling desperately. “ _Please._ ”

“Well, since you asked so nicely.”

A slow smile began to play at Jack's lips as he pulled his fingers out. With that, he unwrapped the condom before swiftly and expertly sliding it over his own growing erection and coating it with the leftover juices on his fingers. He wasted no time before he was lining up his stiff member with Rhys' begging hole, steadying his other hand under one of Rhys' thighs. Jack let just a single moment more pass before he was pressing into Rhys, slowly but surely.

Gasping, Rhys' flesh hand dug painfully into the sheets as Jack pushed even further into him, his girth stretching him like he'd never expected. It was so much more than he ever could have anticipated. He honestly felt like he was going to be torn in two, a high sound of pain escaping his throat as he slid deeper still.

“ _Damn_ you're so tight,” Jack hissed huskily, now more than half his length buried into Rhys. “How long you been wanting this, huh?”

Grunting, Rhys moved his hips in a small swivel, trying to get himself used to the sensation, almost too far gone into the carnal way Jack was taking him that he barely registered the question. But after a beat, Rhys slowly opened his eyes, watching the older man through a lidded gaze.

“Longer than you know,” Rhys felt the words slipping past his lips in a quick breath, another and longer moan causing him to bury his head back into the pillow as Jack pushed in even deeper.

Rhys could just slightly make out the halfhearted chuckle of Jack's before pain and pleasure intermingled deliciously as Jack was pulling out more than halfway before driving right back into him. He set a comfortable pace, Jack still feeling him out as Rhys adjusted to the girth of his thick length. But for as rhythmic and wonderful his motions were, the pain was subsiding and leaving nothing in its wake but mere licks of pleasure that Rhys craved more of. No, **_needed_ ** more of.

Reaching forward, Rhys clamped his flesh hand down onto Jack's large forearm, squeezing tight to drive home his huskily delivered point, “ _H-harder_ , Jack.”

“Fuck,” Jack cursed, not daring to hesitate before he was moving his hips against Rhys' faster, the sound of flesh on flesh growing rougher and more deliberate. Rhys cried out at that, receiving exactly what he'd asked for. “How do you keep turning me on, kiddo?”

Rhys didn't know the answer to that question. He didn't know much of anything right then beyond the incredible feeling of Jack's slick hardness burying deeply into him again and again with a vigor unlike anything he'd experienced. It wasn't even on Rhys' mind to give any attention to his bobbing cock, Jack's fervor claiming all his senses in that moment.

But it seemed that Jack wasn't just content with what he was already giving. Without warning, Rhys could feel one of Jack's hands tightly wrapping around his swollen flesh, brushing his grip up and down in time with his increasingly heavy thrusts.

That caused Rhys to scream out, “Ngh, God, _J-Jack!_ ”

“That's right, say my name again,” Jack hissed between clenched teeth, breath heavy with lust as he leaned over Rhys' form, his free hand supporting his weight over the younger man. “Scream my name _over and over_ , baby.”

And Rhys did just that. With each movement of Jack's hips came his professor's name from his lips, one utterance seeming to taste all the sweeter within his mouth than the last. Rhys could feel he was already growing close and he was rapidly approaching that peak of wonderful euphoria. All that ever mattered in that moment was Jack and absolutely nothing else. Nothing else _could_ matter. Not to Rhys.

Suddenly and without warning, Rhys could feel his seed bursting from his overstimulated member for the second time that day, his hot juices covering his stomach and joining the previous stains that Jack had neglected to clean from his skin. It was a sight to behold for Jack and he was just staring down at the younger man with a greedy and insatiable lust.

Now Rhys was squirming as Jack continued to slam into him again and again, barely having recovered from his own orgasm before he had to continue to receive pleasure from Jack. Even Jack's hand hadn't stopped in its motions and Rhys had to bite at his lower lip, the overstimulation starting to drive him wild.

“You're a damn _mess_ ,” Jack growled, leaning forward as he finally released Rhys' member to enclose his lips around Rhys' erect nipple. Rhys gasped for air he desperately needed, his fingers digging deep and hard enough into Jack's arm that it would be a miracle if it didn't leave some kind of bruise.

If it were at all possible, Jack's hips increased in their pace, the rhythm soon being left behind in the wake of Jack's need for release.

“J-Jack, _pl-please_ ,” Rhys moaned, not exactly sure _what_ he was begging for, but it was all he could do then as Jack continued to pound into him. He could feel Jack's hot breath ghost over his skin before the older man's forehead was leaning against his heaving chest.

“A-almost there, _so fucking close_ ,” Jack muttered quickly in between labored breaths, just a few more thrusts into Rhys before he was moaning loudly and deeply.

His hips hitched in their pace and Rhys soon realized that Jack had reached his orgasm, cumming into the condom more with each waning movement of his hips. Soon enough, he came to a halt, his cock still buried deeply within Rhys as they both sat in the after glow of their sex, trying so hard to catch their breaths.

After a near minute of silence, Jack pulled himself out, turning his eyes to look up at his student. What he saw did _not_ disappoint him. His face was tinted red, a small trail of saliva having settled on his lower lip and tears brimming at the corners of his eyes. Like Jack said, he was a damn mess. But fuck, if he didn't look _absolutely_ perfect.

Smiling lazily, Jack moved up to capture Rhys' lips, Rhys returning the kiss with exhaustion clear in his motions. Somehow, Rhys was more content than he'd ever imagined possible. He'd just been fucked heavily and relentlessly into his own bed and he couldn't have wanted it any other way.

Suddenly, Rhys felt the soft skin of Jack's thumb brushing near the corner of his left eye, wiping away a stray tear that had decided to flee.

“ _Goddamn_ , Rhysie,” Jack muttered, a tired smirk playing at his lips as he hovered over Rhys. “We really should've done that sooner.”

Rhys just huffed a lazy chuckle, “We really shouldn't have done that at all, Jack.”

Jack's lips twisted into an unamused pout, “You didn't seem to be complaining.”

“And I'm still _not_ ,” Rhys reassured him, bringing up his left hand to drag his fingertips along Jack's cheek, his thumb brushing just slightly over the scar that resided there. Slowly, whatever smile he had was falling. “But... This _isn't_ right, Jack. You know it isn't.”

Jack's features were turning solemn for a moment or two as he chewed over Rhys' words within his head, the silence stretching on. Suddenly Rhys was worried that maybe he shouldn't have said what he said. That maybe Jack would just up and leave. And despite what he'd just said, the idea of that made Rhys ache, and certainly _not_ in a good way.

Before Rhys could open his mouth to try and amend his words, Jack was pressing his lips against Rhys' neck, the pecks gentle as he traveled upward along the navel of his neck, his jaw, and finally ending his trail on Rhys' own lips. He allowed his lips to settle there for several moments before he was pulling back and eyeing Rhys carefully.

“Did that not feel right?” Jack asked curiously, but there was the ghost of smugness lying under his tone, almost as if he was proud of some point he'd just proven. And, well... Rhys had to give it to him. There was not a single bit of that that felt wrong. It felt far too right.

Rhys pressed his palm more firmly against Jack's cheek as he smiled up at him, “It did... It felt right.”

And that was victory enough for Jack. A grin began to break out along his features as he pulled away from the younger man, settling back onto his knees.

“Y'know, when I said I was gonna fuck you all day,” Jack began, sliding off the bed and giving his body a stretch. “ _I meant it._ So let me get rid of this condom and we'll see how long it'll take before you get hard and start begging for me again.”

Rhys scoffed, rolling onto his side and propping his head onto his left hand, “ _Pft_ , are you **_sure_ ** you've got enough stamina to go all day? That seems like a stretch.”

“You do **not** wanna give me the old man spiel right now, cupcake,” Jack growled, his tone equally dangerous and playful. How he did that, Rhys would never understand. “Because believe me, I can fuck circles around you _all day long_.”

 


	14. Possessions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rhys feels horrible and promises to make things up to Vaughn, but Jack isn't sure he likes the idea of that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Still forever grateful for all your support, thank you all so, so much!! I can't thank you all enough!

Slowly but surely, Rhys could feel himself coming back to reality, shaking the cover of sleep off his mind hazily. He felt beyond sore, like his body would be locked in this position forever, but maybe that wouldn't be _so_ bad. Flush against his back, Rhys could feel Jack's overbearing form, an arm of his lazily draped over his torso and the softest brush of warm air sliding over his neck every so often. It wasn't hard to tell that Jack was in a deep sleep, probably just as exhausted, if not more than Rhys was.

The room was dark, not even a hint of light flowing in from the blinded windows. It must've been later than Rhys even realized. The last thing he remembered was collapsing from exhaustion after they'd gone at it for somewhere around three hours, maybe more. Rhys wasn't sure, if he was being perfectly honest. All sense of time went out the window and whether that was good or bad... There was no telling.

As much as Rhys loved being this deliciously sore, he was _incredibly_ pissed at himself too. He was supposed to talk to Jack about... Well, whatever this was. Not fuck him until his physically couldn't any longer.

With hesitation, Rhys found himself slowly trying to sit up, being mindful not to wake Jack in the process. However, he wasn't very successful as he felt Jack's arm tightening around his form and trapping him exactly where he was.

Jack took a slow breath through his nose before he spoke, his voice groggy and deep, “Where ya going, pumpkin..?”

“ _Sorry_ ,” Rhys whispered a bit sheepishly, allowing Jack to pull him closer. “I didn't mean to wake you.”

Rhys could feel heat beginning to spread along his cheeks as the sensation of Jack burying his face into his neck tickled his skin, the older man's lips placing kisses on the sensitive flesh as he hummed between each affection, “It's fine. I need to get home anyway. Seems late.”

As he leaned into the peppered kisses, Rhys felt a pang of sadness at Jack's words, his voice reflecting that disappointment, “You don't _have_ to go home, do you?”

Jack just chuckled lowly, “Class tomorrow morning. Midterm. Remember?”

That got Rhys to huff a sigh, something not unlike a groan following as he turned to face Jack, “Can't we just _not_ go?”

“If you don't show up, I'm failing you,” Jack teased, his grin clear even through the dim room.

Scoffing, Rhys moved to settle himself on top of Jack, straddling him as he said, “Oh, so I let you fuck me for several hours straight and I don't get an automatic A? That's just unfair.”

Jack laughed heartily, “This is all just extra credit here, Rhysie. You _still_ gotta take the test.”

Whatever smile Rhys may have had faltered slightly as he moved up, leaning over Jack with his hands supporting him on the mattress. He watched his teacher carefully, trying to make out his expression through the darkness, “We still need to talk about us.”

“I think we're at past talking at this point, sweetheart,” Jack quipped as though he were waving away Rhys' words.

“I'm serious, Jack,” Rhys responded with a small scowl. “You know how bad this is, right?”

Jack just gave a small shrug, seemingly nonchalant, “No, but one thing I do know is how fantastic you are in bed now, so there's that.”

“ _Jack!_ ” Rhys hissed. “You know what I'm talking about.”

“Yeah, yeah, I do. I'd just rather not talk about it right now.”

That gave Rhys slight pause, his response honestly unexpected. Rhys knit his eyebrows together as he asked, “ _What?_ What do you mean you'd rather not talk about it?”

Jack raised his pointed brows, “Exactly what it sounds like. I'd rather not talk about it.”

“Is that why you just barged right in here earlier? Just to avoid talking about it?”

Jack gave a small shrug and the hint of a smile, “Not exactly.”

 _What an ass._ Rhys sighed heavily and shook his head, “We need to talk about this some time. Because what if someone finds out?”

Jack scoffed, rolling his eyes and sounding amused even, “ _PFT_ , no one is gonna find out unless you go blabbing your mouth about it. I mean, you haven't told anyone, _have you?_ ”

Rhys went silent as he swallowed roughly. Looking away, he leaned back, settling back down onto Jack's torso, his fingers absently brushing over the hair on Jack's chest, “ _Well_...”

Amusement fell from Jack's features and tone as he urged, “ ** _Well?_** Who the hell _did_ you tell?”

It took a moment for Rhys to look back at his teacher, his expression sheepish, “Vaughn?”

That got an extended groan out of Jack, “Eugh, you told shorty?”

“ _Hey!_ ” Rhys growled, scowling strongly in Jack's direction. “I told you **_not_** to call him that!”

Pausing a moment, Jack pushed himself up onto his elbows and tilted his head slightly, “Okay, fine. How much do you trust.. Vaughn? Because I don't trust him one bit.”

“I'd trust him with my life,” Rhys answered immediately without thought. “In fact, he's saved my life before so _there_.”

That seemed to surprise Jack more than Rhys had anticipated it would, “Woah, woah, hold on, he _actually_ saved your life?”

That was a story that Rhys wasn't willing to get into right then. Maybe another time. **_Hard_ ** maybe. Rhys let silence settle between them as he moved off of Jack, standing and stretching as he did so, “Yeah. But that's besides the point. And the point being I trust him. _Okay?_ ” Pausing, Rhys turned to look back at Jack as he sat up more on the bed. “What makes you not trust him?”

“Just don't,” Jack offered simply, brushing the covers off himself as he stood and began to pick his clothes off the floor and dress himself once more.

Of _course_ he couldn't get a proper answer out of Jack. Rhys still held the notion that Jack was somehow jealous of Vaughn in one way or another and that was slightly amusing to him as much as it was annoying. Nonetheless, he just rolled his eyes as he started to get dressed as well.

“Well, you'll just have to trust _me_ then,” Rhys settled as he brought a clean shirt over his head, using his flesh hand to brush back his unruly hair.

“Whatever you say, princess.”

***

“It's worth practically _half_ your grade, so be there and be ready. No pressure.”

Rhys resisted the urge to roll his eyes as Jack reminded him of what he knew, tomorrow already having been heavily on his mind for the past week or two. Tomorrow was finally the big midterm, a test that Rhys knew he was prepared for. He'd done so much studying, he properly wasn't sure what more studying he _could_ do.

“I got it,” Rhys finally responded as he lead Jack closer to the front door of his apartment. “I'm your _star student_ , remember? No problem.”

Jack laughed at that, “I'm sure you do.”

Before Rhys could say another word, Jack was leaning closer, capturing Rhys' lips within his own in a short but sweet kiss. Rhys returned it, already missing the older man's lips as he pulled away to grab at the door and pull it open. What Rhys saw then made him freeze up in dread.

There, approaching towards the door, was Vaughn, looking perhaps a bit more than caught off guard.

“Oh! Look who it is, it's _Vaughn!_ ” Jack started obnoxiously, stepping closer to wrap his arm around the shorter man's shoulders, who looked a cross between terrified and annoyed. Jack gave a few rough pats with his other hand to Vaughn's chest, “Rhysie's good ol' buddy ol' pal, Vaughn!” It was clear that Jack was forcing a smile onto his face, his chuckles mirthless. “Next time I come over, try not to shut the door in my face, _okay?_ Hah, _okay_ , alright, _buh_ -bye now.”

With that, Jack let go of Vaughn, leaving both Vaughn and Rhys feeling tense and unsure what to say as Jack turned and went on his way. Finally, Vaughn turned to watch Rhys' professor stride out and down the stairs before he returned his attention to his friend.

Rhys didn't know what else to do as he stood in the open doorway other than give Vaughn a forced smile, trying to find his voice, but failing. The awkward and tense silence continued to linger even as Vaughn stepped into the apartment, closing the door behind him as he moved past Rhys.

“Uh, _hey!_ Vaughn!” Rhys finally started, clearing his throat as if to bide more time. “How was, uh... How was Yvette?”

Suddenly, Vaughn stopped, turning suddenly to face Rhys with disappointment clear in his features, “I _cannot_ believe you.”

With that, Rhys felt his forced smile fall, a thin line replacing it as he practically shied away from Vaughn's harsh tone. He took a slow breath before responding quietly, “If it makes you feel any better, I can't believe me either.”

“That doesn't make me feel any better!” Vaughn growled, shaking his head with clear frustration. “Has he been here _all_ day?”

Rhys was a bit taken aback by how clearly upset Vaughn was, which just made him feel even worse about the entire situation, “Well, _I mean..._ ”

Vaughn crossed his arms, narrowing his eyes beyond his glasses, “Rhys.”

“Yeah, he pretty much, uh...” Rhys started slowly. “Was.”

“Did you even talk to him? Or did you two just--”

“I _tried_ to talk to him!” Rhys quickly interjected, not wanting Vaughn to finish that question. It was obvious enough what happened, he didn't need it to be said out loud to boot. “I really did.”

Only a beat passed before Vaughn was turning away once more and heading into the kitchen, “You don't talk with _dicks_ , Rhys.”

Fuck, did he **have** to say it like that? It just made Rhys grow red in embarrassment, but he knew he deserved the backlash. He tried to respond, but all that came out were stuttering starts, “W-we-- I--”

“Look,” Vaughn began with a sigh, opening the fridge door and reaching in to grab a bottled water. “I don't want to hear what exactly you two did, that's why I left earlier. I thought you could have a _little_ more self control, otherwise I never would've let him in.”

Pausing, Vaughn opened the bottle of water, adding almost as an afterthought, “Then again, I dunno if I could've stopped him even if I wanted to. Your teacher's kinda... _Scary_. I don't think he likes me.”

Bringing up his flesh hand, Rhys scratched absently at the back of his head, “Vaughn, I'm... _Really_ sorry about this. Okay? I'm still trying to work this all out, I just need time and...” Trailing off, Rhys realized how pathetic he was sounding, knowing that this still wasn't making Vaughn any happier about it all. So he tried a different approach, “Hey, actually, what about I make it up to you after class tomorrow, huh?”

Vaughn took a quick swig of the water before admitting, “I'm listening.”

That was promising. Right? Rhys could feel a smile tugging at his lips as he continued, “What about a bar crawl? We haven't done that in years. There's like at _least_ five bars I know of around town that aren't that far apart. All on me.”

Rhys could only hope that Vaughn wouldn't turn him down on this. If he had to be honest, a bar crawl sounded exactly like what he needed himself. The two used to go on them all the time before they moved out to go to their respective schools. It'd be just like old times and maybe even help to clear Rhys' head on everything. Lord knows he needed it.

A few moments passed as Vaughn considered this before shrugging somewhat, “Alright. But you _do_ know why I'm even upset at you in the first place about all this... Right?”

Vaughn's words made Rhys' smile fall ever so slightly, his shoulders scrunching up in shame, “Yeah, I get it, man...”

“I'm just worried about you, okay?” Vaughn went on as he stepped closer to Rhys, looking up at his taller friend with clear concern in his eyes. “This entire situation... It's not gonna end well if you don't do something about it. You like him, I get it, but just... You need to be careful.”

Slowly, Rhys nodded, “I know, Vaughn. I know...”

***

Rhys was even more sore the following morning. He couldn't even remember the last time he'd been this sore. Only other time he'd felt this horrible was after he'd lost his arm, so it was definitely saying a lot that he had only _that_ to compare it to. It didn't make for a very easy awakening, although the shower definitely helped, he'd need a good week to feel back to normal.

It was hard not to think that it was Jack that made him feel this way. And it was equally hard not to think of just _how_ he'd done it. He didn't have time to think about it and get any kind of arousal from it. Especially not today when he had one of the most important tests of the semester waiting for him. So he was quick about getting through the shower and getting dressed.

“Hey, good luck on that test today,” Vaughn called from the kitchen as Rhys stopped at the front door.

With a smile, Rhys called back, “Thanks, man! We'll go get lunch after!”

“Sounds good!”

And with that, Rhys was out the door. The journey to the classroom seemed to be much shorter thanks to his nerves about the test and maybe getting to see Jack again helped that along. Even after everything they'd done, Jack still somehow had that fluttering effect on him and Rhys just didn't know how.

Either way, he arrived, the tests were distributed ten minutes later, and he was fully focused into the questions. Jack seemed to have a fondness for the essay questions and he really seemed to up the ante this time. They were much harder and more complex than he originally anticipated. It left him having to leave one question behind for another, vowing to come back to it in hopes that it would have gotten easier by the time he came back around to it.

Unfortunately that couldn't be the case, but nonetheless, he finally finished. He'd been so into the test that he hadn't realized class was nearing its end and he was one of the last people to be getting up to turn it in. Not that he minded, really. He felt confident in his answers, despite it being so difficult. He showcased that well enough as he came up to Jack's desk, giving his teacher a sly smile as the older man's eyes met his. Without lingering, he turned and headed back to his desk to wait out the rest of the period, his eyes flickering every so often to Jack.

Finally, the last person turned their test in and Jack took a survey of the classroom, making some kind of mental note that Rhys couldn't quite figure out straight away.

“Alright,” Jack began in his booming voice, grabbing the stack of papers and straightening them with an oddly proud smile. “Get outta here nerds, go enjoy your spring break or whatever. Have a good one, yatta yatta.”

The classroom was alight with voices suddenly, breaking the nearly two hour long silence as all the students rejoiced in being let out early. Well, ten minutes early, but it was better than nothing. Rhys couldn't help but smile, actually glad that this meant he'd be free from having to worry about homework for over a week and it was a welcome relief.

Finally, the last couple of students left the room and Rhys was standing from his seat, making his way over toward Jack as he stood near his desk, arms crossed over his chest.

“Didn't have any trouble with the test, did you?” Jack asked expectantly, a smile still staining his lips.

Rhys shrugged, “A bit. You weren't kidding when you said it'd be hard.”

That got a laugh from Jack, “Damn right I wasn't. Eh, I'm sure you did good. You always do, _star student._ ”

Rhys couldn't help but feel a small swelling of pride at that, as stupid as it was, “Thanks.”

Silence settled over the easy atmosphere as Jack moved to grab his briefcase, opening it before sliding the stack of papers within the dark case and clamping it shut. His words came suddenly and caught Rhys more than just a little off guard, “So, what do you say we go have some _fun?"_ Jack paused to give Rhys a small wink. "Start off spring break right, huh?”

“Nice tact, Jack,” Rhys responded, perhaps a bit more flustered at what he was suggesting than he would've liked. “Really.”

“I know, I'm amazing at it,” Jack agreed with a few chuckles of amusement.

Bringing up his metal hand, Rhys rubbed the back of his neck, “I, uh... Actually _can't_ though. I promised to have lunch and hang with Vaughn today. We're going out later tonight.”

Whatever motions Jack was doing with his hands stilled as he looked over to Rhys with hints of indignation in his features and tone, “What, _again?_ ”

“Yes, again,” Rhys affirmed firmly. “He _kinda_ knew what we did yesterday.”

Jack shrugged before pushing the briefcase onto his desk and crossing his arms once more, an eyebrow crawling up onto his forehead, “ _So?_ What does that have to do with anything?”

“ _Everything_ ,” Rhys answered vaguely, not really wanting to delve into this right now. “Look, we can do something tomorrow, okay? Or even any time next week. It _is_ spring break, remember?”

The older man chewed this over for barely even a moment before he was retorting, “I distinctly remember saying your ass was mine _every_ single day.”

“And I distinctly remember not agreeing to that.”

Jack pulled a cheeky and smug grin onto his lips, “You didn't deny it either.”

Rhys hated that he was blushing right now. It didn't help his case. But he just swallowed roughly, trying to swallow the heat down with it, as he argued, “You don't _own_ me, Jack. I'm not gonna back out from a promise to Vaughn.”

Without warning, Jack was stepping closer to Rhys, “C'mon, Rhysie, you can just cancel. Make something up.” His voice grew low and frisky, both his eyebrows tweaking up playfully. “Tell him you had to stay after class or something.”

Biting down on his lower lip, Rhys took a small step back, shaking his head a bit frustratedly, “No, I'm not gonna do that to him!”

Suddenly, Jack's playful demeanor fell as he was scowling in a pout at Rhys, a heavy sigh escaping his lips as he stepped back, “Okay, _fine_ then. Go have fun. Or whatever. See if I care.”

“Fine,” Rhys shot back, turning to leave the classroom. “ _I will!_ ”

And before Jack could get out another word, Rhys was out of the room and striding down the hall. He couldn't believe Jack was acting this way, like he was some possessive child that didn't want to share his toys. If this was going to be a trend with Jack, Rhys wasn't sure he liked the idea of having to deal with that.

God, just why the hell did he even like Jack _at all?_

Sighing to himself and trying to brush the vexing conversation from his mind, he brought out his phone and called up Vaughn, his friend's voice on the other end just moments later.

“I'm out of class, thank _God_ ,” Rhys began with a grumble, sounding very obviously annoyed. “Let's go get that lunch.”

 


	15. Eye for an eye

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rhys and Vaughn spend some quality time together through a bar crawl, but after a few too many drinks, Rhys becomes far too bold and ends up paying for it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lots of drunk Rhys and drunk Vaughn in this chapter, which was honestly just such a fun pleasure to write. There is a bit of blood and mention of violence near the end, so just a warning there! As always, I appreciate every single one of your kudos and comments, they mean the world to me!

Rhys didn't want to be this annoyed at Jack's behavior. He really absolutely didn't, but here he was, his thoughts _still_ revolving around every word Jack had said earlier that day in vexing circles. It was such a short conversation but it just wouldn't leave Rhys alone with how, well... _Possessive_ Jack was acting. He knew that he and Vaughn were friends. And even then, he didn't really have any official ties to Jack, did he?

Of course he didn't. They still hadn't even gotten the chance to properly talk. Was Jack maybe _afraid_ to talk about it? Rhys couldn't help but suspect that was the case. But that shouldn't have stopped the conversation from happening.

“Are you _sure_ you're gonna have enough to cover us both tonight?”

The sudden voice of Vaughn shook Rhys from his reverie as he blinked quickly a few times, turning his eyes to his shorter friend as they walked down the sidewalk towards their destination. It took Rhys a moment to fully register what Vaughn had said, but soon enough he was smiling and nodding.

“Don't even worry about it, buddy,” Rhys reassured him confidently. “My parents sent me some extra cash for spring break anyway so it's all good.”

“Okay, cool. How are they, by the way?” Vaughn asked, returning Rhys' own smile.

At that, Rhys could only shrug, “They're good. I guess.”

Rhys only caught a glimpse of Vaughn's fading smile as he turned his attention ahead once more, Vaughn sounding cautious and unsure, “You _guess?_ ”

“Yeah,” Rhys said with a nod. “I guess. I dunno.”

“Is... Everything cool?”

Rhys raised his eyebrows somewhat as he looked back over to Vaughn, “Yeah, everything's fine we just... Don't really talk much, that's all.”

Vaughn pursed his lips in thought, almost as though he was hesitant on whether he should pursue this or not. He settled for crossing his arms before asking, “Any reason?”

For a few moments, Rhys let Vaughn's question turn over in his mind. Him and his parents were on _okay_ terms, he supposed. As good of terms as you could get with rich parents, anyway. They paid for his schooling and his apartment, so he really couldn't find it in him to complain; he'd feel ungrateful if he _did_ complain. He loved them and he was sure they loved him, but they never were the most social with him.

They always just kind of gave him what he needed and that was that. He'd always guessed that their definition of being a _good parent_ was making sure their kid didn't starve and had enough to make it through each month while away at college. They never really called to talk about how he was doing unless it involved money. He supposed that was good because he wasn't sure that he could explain in any capacity that he was _literally_ fucking his teacher.

That was a conversation that would probably-- no, **_most definitely_** , be pretty horrifying.

Taking a slow breath, Rhys finally responded, “Dunno, they're probably busy with their stocks or whatever. Anyway, point being, I can cover for us. No problem.”

It seemed that Vaughn could pick up that Rhys wanted to drop the subject as he simply nodded, “Cool. Which bar are we heading to first?”

That was a pretty convenient question with a pretty convenient answer, because they were nearly there. In fact...

“ _That's_ the first one,” Rhys said as he pointed to the run down building across the street. It had the name _'Haven'_ written on a sign in cursive and decorative font hanging above the door. “We'll grab a couple rounds of shots and move on, sound good?”

“Sounds good,” Vaughn agreed as they crossed the street, pausing as Rhys grabbed the handle of the door and opened it for Vaughn. “Bet I can drink more than you before you're too drunk to even walk straight.”

That just made Rhys laugh as he followed Vaughn inside, “Yeah pal, you keep telling yourself that. We'll see.”

***

Several bars and several _several_ drinks later, Rhys was sure his blood alcohol content was growing closer into dangerously stupid levels. Needless to say, both he and Vaughn were just a bit too drunk, so much so, the current bar they were settled in near the back of was bound to be the last of the night.

Tilting his head back, Rhys gulped down the last of his liquid marijuana, the liquid fully disappearing and leaving nothing but ice in its wake. Immediately after, he slammed the glass down onto the table, perhaps a little too hard. It thudded loudly, startling even Rhys.

“Rhys, _easy man_ , you're gonna break that glass,” Vaughn hissed lazily, trying to be the voice of reason even in his drunken state.

The only response Rhys could have to that right away was a bout of giggles as he brought up his mechanical hand, the very one he'd used to slam the glass down, and wiggled his fingers. They groaned in little robotic whirs as he hummed, “Sorry, don't know my own bionic strength. Seriously though, I _don't_. This thing can be like-- like _extra_ strong sometimes, man.”

Vaughn laughed before he took another swig of his gin and tonic before saying, “Remember that time you beat Fiona in that-- that arm wrestling contest. _Annn_... And she got all like... **Pissed** because you used that arm?”

“And—and-- _and th-then--!_ ” Rhys tried, but his laughter was coming out in more bubbly spurts. He swallowed before trying again, “And then she _s-stole_ my arm! She **_actually_ ** stole my arm and tossed it in a tree!”

Vaughn was laughing even harder as he leaned onto the table, trying to stifle his chortles, “Your dad-- _oh my God!_ Your dad was **so** pissed!!”

“H-he was all--” Rhys giggled more, pausing just barely as he cleared his throat, imitating the voice of his dad. “ **'I paid for that arm young lady and now you're gonna _p-pay_ me back if you don't get it out of that tree!'** ” Rhys had to pause once more, trying to catch his breath from his laughter. “Then Fiona got **_stuck_ ** in the tree!!”

There was no more of the story the two could recount, they were in a mess of laughter and giggles on the table. Rhys wasn't sure he was going to be able to stop laughing, but after a few more moments, both of their laughter started to die down. Rhys had to wipe the tears from his eyes that had begun to brim from the exertion.

“Yeahhh,” Rhys finally sighed fondly. “This arm's gotten me into-- into a _lot_ of fun shit. Guess it's not _so_ bad.”

Vaughn coughed slightly, clearing his throat as he motioned to Rhys' arm, “Oh yeah, isn't your teacher like a-all... _Obsessed_ with your arm too?”

Even through his drunken state, Rhys was caught a bit off guard from that, “I dunno, I mean he _likes_ it I guess. He **did** work at Hyperion. And this arm's just completely Hyperion soooo... So _that's_ a thing.”

“I bet he's obsessed with your arm,” Vaughn slurred, sounding like he was attempting to just get some sort of rise out of his friend. “Like he's a fricking _robotics_ professor so... How many of his students actually have a kick ass robot arm?”

Rhys wasn't entirely sure what was so funny about that, but he found himself giggling more. Having Jack on his mind again gave him an odd and out of the blue idea, his thought process not entirely together on a coherent string, but he just didn't care right then. All he knew is he was going to bring out his phone and call up Jack. For what reason? He wasn't sure.

“Hey, I'm gonna call the asshole,” Rhys said in a jumbled slur, reaching into his jacket pocket before pulling out his phone. “I told you he's an asshole, right? Because he _absolutelyyyy_ is.”

In one more chug, Vaughn finished off his drink, setting the empty glass to the side as he studied Rhys carefully, “Then _why_ do you even like him?”

As Rhys scrolled through his contacts, even scrolling past Jack's a few times, he finally selected the right number before he shrugged, “Because he's hot? And he's charming or _wha-ever?_ I dunno.”

“Pfft,” Vaughn scoffed, his voice somehow coming out clearly sarcastic despite the intoxicated tone. “ _Okay_ , good reason there, man.”

As childish as it was, Rhys couldn't resist sticking his tongue out at Vaughn as he began dialing Jack's number and bringing the phone to his ear. It took several rings before Jack's voice was on the other end, sounding expectant.

“Hey kitten, what's up?”

There was no stopping the big and dumb grin that crawled onto Rhys' face as he slurred, “I like it when you call me those stupid names. _Do it again._ ”

Silence greeted Rhys' ear for a moment or two before Jack was responding both parts annoyed and amused, “Holy _shit_ , you sound **really** friggin' drunk right now. You are, aren't you?”

“I'm gonna go get another round,” Vaughn chimed in suddenly, sliding out of the booth and standing, his stance a bit wobbly. “Have fun talking with your _boyfriend_.”

“ _Shut up!_ ” Rhys hissed, his words a bit half-assed before he returned his attention back to Jack. His voice suddenly turned whiny and drawn out, “ _Jaaaaack_ , call me those names again.”

Jack just laughed, “ _What_ names?”

“You know,” Rhys insisted. “The _naaaaaaames_.”

“You're gonna have to be a **_little_ ** more clear on this, not sure I'm catchin' your drift.”

Okay, Rhys was growing frustrated, his forehead now resting down on the wooden table, “ _Youuuuu_ are such an ass.”

“And you're too goddamn drunk,” Jack retorted with a chuckle.

“And you're too goddamn pretty,” Rhys threw back like it was some sort of insult and he'd just proven a huge point.

There was no hiding the smugness in Jack's voice from that one, “Damn _right_ I am. But I know you'd never _actually_ say something like that if you were anywhere near sober. Please tell me you're at least this drunk at home.”

“ _What?_ ” Rhys scoffed, sounding affronted Jack would assume that. “No! That'd be-- be boring. I'm out.”

“Out?” Jack demanded, sounding quite a bit more serious in tone.

Pulling his head up, Rhys nodded in exaggerated motions even though Jack couldn't see, “Yeah that's what I said. I'mmmm _out_. At a bar. Oh yeah, by the way, _youuuuu_ should apologize to me for earlier. That was really-- really rude.”

Jack sighed heavily and quickly, “I don't think this is the conversation to have while you're drunk, pumpkin.”

“ _Aha!_ ” Rhys called out loudly and triumphantly, tossing his robotic arm in the air in some sort of victory. “You said it, you-you- _you_ said the name thing! That's so stupid. I love it. Do it again.”

“ _Oh my God_ ,” Jack muttered. “What bar are you at right now?”

Rhys chewed this over for several moments before he responded slowly, “I honestly don't... Even remember. It's all purple. Or it has purple i-in the name. I thiiiiiink.”

“The Purple Skag?”

“ _Yes!_ ” Rhys suddenly shouted. “That's it! ...Wait. Why?”

“Because you're _obviously_ drunk off your bony ass and I don't trust you to get home on your own.”

Rhys probably would've sounded much more offended if he wasn't so intoxicated, “Don't you _d-dare_ , I'm a grown ass man, I cannnn get home on my own. Besides, I've got Vaughn with me, it's all good.”

Jack just snorted, “Too late, I'm already on my way. I'm gonna take you home before you do anything stupid or just pass out on the street.”

Before Rhys' addled mind could form a coherent response, Jack had already hung up, leaving Rhys a bit annoyed. If he were any less drunk, he'd probably be furious with Jack. But as he noticed Vaughn approaching with two glasses filled with their respective drinks, he found he was a little on the more forgiving side.

“You look kinda annoyed, bro,” Vaughn commented as he placed the glass in front of Rhys before settling back into the booth across from him. “Or maybe not. S'hard to tell at this point.”

Without a word, Rhys took the glass and downed several chugs of the liquid, the alcohol leaving a satisfying but distant burn on his throat as it went down. He sighed as he pulled the glass away.

“'Pparently Jack's comin'.”

“ _What?_ ” Vaughn asked, cup nearly to his lips now frozen. “You didn't like-- _invite_ him, did you?”

Rhys shook his head, “No, but he thinks we can't get home safe or somethin'. I dunno.”

Suddenly, Rhys got an idea and it left him growing into a fit of giggles once more as he tilted his head, “Let's jus' like... Finish and leave before he even gets here.”

Vaughn's eyes widened slightly at the idea, “Won't tha' piss him off?”

“He's pissed me off like...” Rhys paused for a messy scoff. “A lot. Like _a lot_ a lot. So I mean... Payback's a _bitch_.” Suddenly, Rhys was raising his drink across the table, a daring but crooked smile on his lips. “Bet I can finish mine before you.”

Vaughn returned the smile, a challenging gleam in his gaze as he raised his own cup, “Bring it.”

_Clink._

Both boys were downing their drinks in quick and sloppy gulps, each swallow bringing them closer to the bottom of their glasses. Rhys was already ahead and he knew he was going to win, but he got greedy. He tilted his drink just a bit too far back and it spilled over his lips, landing on his v-neck shirt and jacket in the process, but he didn't stop. Not a moment later, and he reached the end, slamming his cup down just seconds before Vaughn.

“I beat you, man! _Woo!_ ” Rhys said with yet another fit of giggles.

Vaughn shook his head lazily, “Nope! Definitely didn't beat me. You're seein' things, man.”

Moving to stand, Rhys just scoffed, “You keep t-tellin' yourself that buddy, **_I'm_** the clear winner.”

On wobbly, long legs, Rhys began to make his way out of the bar, heading towards the door without looking back to Vaughn. In his mind, he _definitely_ won, and he wouldn't hear any sort of attempts at Vaughn justifying his own victory. Nope. He didn't want to give him the satisfaction. His mind was swimming even more, the pleasant heat of the alcohol bubbling within his chest.

Stumbling just before the door, Rhys rammed into the door, pushing it open with a bit more force than he'd meant. Rhys found it amusing, but the sound of another man's loud and painful groan on the other side told him that this was anything _but_ amusing.

As Rhys and Vaughn stepped out of the bar and looked to their left, there they saw a blonde haired man. He looked to be just slightly shorter than Rhys, but he looked angry and _definitely_ not pleased to have just been smacked right in the face with the door. The guy swore, rubbing at his nose before eyeing Rhys with rage.

“Woah, _sorry_ , buddy,” Rhys said with a careful laugh. “Didn't see you there.”

Before Rhys could register what was happening, he was being tugged forward, the guy's hands digging roughly into the fabric of his jacket. He was soon staring directly into the man's blue eyes. From here he could see he had a nose ring and a pointed beard. He definitely didn't look friendly, but Rhys couldn't be anything but slightly amused.

“You think it's fucking funny that you nearly _**broke** _ my nose?!” he growled at Rhys. “What if you **actually** broke my nose, huh? Would it be funny then?!”

“Hey, _come on,_ ” Vaughn tried to step in, attempting to sound much more sober than he actually was. “Rhys really didn't mean to--”

“You stay out of this, _little man!_ ” the guy shouted at Vaughn, glaring in his direction before tightening his grip on Rhys' clothing. “I think your friend can speak for himself.”

Slowly, Rhys raised his hands, far too drunk to even be scared as he retorted in a slur, “Look, your nose is already _kindaaaaa_ messed up so it's not like I actually did anything bad.”

The other man's eyes widened in a growing frustration as he shouted, “What did you just say?!”

Yet again, Rhys just found this amusing more than anything else, so he just giggled, “You gotta-- gotta _weird_ nose, okay? S'not my fault.”

The next thing Rhys knew, he felt an explosion of dull pain directly on his face. Gravity was meaningless to him as he was floating through the air before the hardness of the ground met his back, knocking the air right out of him. It took him several moments as he gasped for air to realize that the guy had punched him, the coppery taste of blood filling his tongue not a second later.

Suddenly, the sound of a familiar and abrasive voice filled the air past the ringing in his ears, “Hey, princess! Ever hear of an eye for an eye? How 'bout a _punch_ for a fuckin' **_punch?!_** ”

Rhys wanted to know what was going on, but his vision was slowly going in and out even as he tried to focus. The distant sound of a scuffle and someone in pain met his eardrums, but it was quickly fading. Not a second later, the sensation of hands were present on his shoulders and it took him a few beats to realize it was Vaughn.

“Rhys? Holy shit, Rhys _are you okay?_ ”

Rhys tried to speak, but it came out entirely mumbled, “Everything's _really_... _Fuzzy..._ ”

The last thing Rhys remembered in those following moments were the growing taste of blood in his mouth then another voice trying to rouse him, “ _Rhys?_ Rhysie, c'mon, stay with me kiddo.”

He tried. He _really_ tried. But it was too hard to fight it. Rhys fell into darkness.

 


	16. The worst hangover

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rhys awakes to the worst hangover ever, but at least Jack is there with him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun little NSFW at the end, also a bit of a mention of vomit, just as a warning! Had a lot of fun with this chapter, honestly, so I hope you all do as well! I'd say we're about 65-70% through this fic. Stuff's about to get pretty serious very soon womp womp. As always, thank you all so much for the comments and kudos! I read every single one like a million times and cry all the happy tears about them~

This had to be one of the _worst_ headaches that Rhys had ever woken up to. It covered his hazy mind like a heavy and painful blanket that only seemed to worsen as he opened his eyes. It took him a lagging moment until bits and pieces of his recent memory were flooding back into his conscious thoughts before he was sitting up quite quickly and forcefully. The sudden movement certainly didn't help, in fact Rhys was sure it made everything much, **_much_ ** worse.

Rhys was distantly aware of movement to his right, not quite associating it with anything until he heard that familiar voice of Jack's, “Woah, _easy_ , Rhys. You should get more sleep.”

Much more slowly this time, Rhys turned to his right to see Jack sitting besides him. He quickly came to the realization that they were back in his bedroom, on his bed. Jack looked as though he'd been asleep himself, having been roused from his sleep by Rhys' sudden movements.

“What the hell happened..?” Rhys finally found his voice, the words dredging out from his throat in a croak.

Jack snorted in response, “I kicked that guy's ass, _that's_ what happened.”

A groan quickly filled Rhys' throat as he brought his hands up to his face, Jack's voice beginning to protest -- “ _wait, don't_ ” – before his palms were brushing against his lower lip. Sharp pain made Rhys wince as he pulled his hands away from his face, utterly confused.

“He messed up your lip pretty badly,” Jack settled, sounding perhaps a bit annoyed at the mention of it. “Be careful.”

There were a multitude of questions left in the wake of Rhys' confusion. So much of his memory was still hazy and he could barely even remember who this guy was that Jack kept going on about. Rhys had opened his mouth to begin unloading those questions, but he felt a sudden and harsh wave of nausea overcoming him and all his senses.

Immediately and instinctively, Rhys was clambering out of the bed and directly toward the bathroom, making it just barely in time before all the contents in his stomach were making its way out of his mouth and into the toilet. The vomit stung his throat as it left his body in several heaves before there was nothing left to vacate from his stomach. As unpleasant as it was, he could feel a slow wave of relief coming over him as he sunk to the floor of the bathroom, curling into a messy ball of groans.

“That help any, cupcake?” Jack's voice and presence were suddenly at the doorway, Rhys not even wanting to think about just how embarrassing this entire thing was. At least Jack wasn't laughing at him or anything.

Another groan floated through the air before Rhys was mumbling, “A _little_... Still feel like shit, though. Where's Vaughn?”

A small sigh came from Jack, “He's passed out on the couch. Has been since we got back.”

Rhys just didn't want to move from this exact spot. Nor did he ever want to drink again for as long as he lived. But he knew if he promised himself either of those things, he'd end up being a big fat liar.

Shaking his head, Rhys squeezed his eyes shut, “What time is it?”

“Like three in the morning,” his professor answered relatively nonchalantly. “Which is _why_ I said you need more sleep.”

That prompted Rhys to look over his shoulder at Jack, the older man looking down at Rhys from the threshold of the bathroom with a look of... Well, Rhys really couldn't figure it out. Was it pity? Sympthy? Worry? Amusement? All of the above? Probably all of the above.

“Shouldn't you be home with your daughter?” Rhys finally asked.

Jack shook his head as he took a step closer, “I've got my brother watching over her, everything's fine.” Pausing a moment, Jack moved even closer to Rhys, crouching down behind him. “Come on, Rhysie, you can't just stay on the floor.”

Again, Rhys never wanted to move from this spot, his head shaking in protest, “I don't wanna get up. Just leave me here.”

A heavy and exaggerated sigh filled Rhys' ears as Jack muttered, “Gotta do this the hard way, huh?”

Before Rhys could question Jack, he felt his sudden and strong hands rolling him onto his back before sliding under his form and dragging him upwards. Rhys' eyes widened in either surprise or horror (he wasn't sure which, honestly) as Jack lifted him up off the ground with seemingly little to no effort.

“ _Hey!_ ” Rhys objected, attempting to pull away from Jack's hold but his body was just too weak from all the alcohol. “I said I don't wanna get up!”

A snort filled the air in response, “Tough. You need water and more sleep, two things you _won't_ get while pathetically laying there on the bathroom floor.”

Although Rhys had complained at first, Rhys was finding that he actually... _Liked_ being held in Jack's arms like this. It was something he never really expected. He was also sure that he'd never been carried like this, not that he could recall, anyway. It was oddly relaxing, Jack's hold on him secure and comforting as he began walking back towards the bed.

It seemed as though it was going to end all too soon as Jack was lowering Rhys back onto the bed, but Rhys found himself clinging much more tightly to the older man. He even found it in him to whine somewhat as he shook his head, “I don't want to go back to bed.”

Sighing and stopping, Jack stood up straight once more as he scowled down at his student, “Jesus, you are so whiny and needy. What _do_ you want, then?”

A smile slowly worked its way on Rhys' features as he wrapped his arms more firmly around Jack's neck and nuzzled his face into the older man's broad chest, his words coming out in a low and quiet mumble, “I want _you_.”

Rhys could feel Jack's chest vibrate as he chuckled, “Well I've got good news for you, pumpkin, because I'm not goin' anywhere.”

Despite the headache, the horrible ache of alcohol still in his system, and even the pain on his lip, Rhys could feel himself humming happily at Jack's words, a tentative smile playing at his lips, “Good.”

Somehow, the conversation earlier that day – rather, _yesterday_ , at this point – floated into his mind and he realized that he still wasn't the happiest with Jack for how possessive he'd been. But with everything considered at this moment, how attentive Jack had been, the very fact that he apparently kicked a guy's ass for him, and even staying after he'd taken him home... It was hard to pay much mind to it. Maybe he'd get frustrated about it later. Being in Jack's arms as he slid back into bed definitely made the issue something to deal with later.

Rhys could feel Jack leaning over to his left and as he opened his eyes, he realized that Jack was offering a full glass of water out to him, “Here, drink. And no more whining or I'll kick your ass.”

He had to admit, he _did_ feel pretty parched, so after a moment of consideration, he took the drink into his right hand and downed several gulps before handing it back to Jack, “Thanks.”

Jack just hummed in acknowledgment as he set the cup back on the nightstand, wrapping his arms back around the younger man, cradling him against his chest. It was hard not to feel the pull of sleep tempting him back into its embrace. Especially when he was feeling this safe and this secure in Jack's hold. It was something he hadn't felt in a long, long time.

The last thing he could remember was the sound of Jack's steady but strong heartbeat before sleep was overtaking his senses.

***

Rhys didn't think it was possible to feel any worse than he did earlier, but here he was, feeling **_absolutely_ ** worse. He'd never been more disappointed to be wrong. His headache had gotten worse, his face felt sore as did his whole body. He was weak, thirsty, and maybe even hungry. His body was definitely punishing him for all the alcohol he'd so stupidly drank.

It took him a few more moments to realize he was still in Jack's arms, albeit not as tight as a hold as it seemed that Jack himself had fallen asleep. It didn't look comfortable, his head resting back against the headboard of the bed, his lips just slightly parted. How long had they been asleep? Long enough for a fair amount of light to stream in through the shaded window, it appeared.

But that didn't matter right then. All that mattered was the sight before Rhys' eyes. Jack looked so incredibly peaceful as he was asleep, even in such an uncomfortable position. His face was free from any sort of condescending or stupid smirk, his pointed eyebrows even at rest. He really did look so damn handsome and Rhys could feel the distant hint of butterflies coming to life within his stomach.

Swallowing roughly, Rhys willed them away as he whispered, “ _Jack?_ ”

Immediately, Jack took a quick inhale as he seemed to be waking up, one of his eyes slowly opening as the other remained sewed shut. Slowly, he looked down to Rhys through both bleary eyes, the hint of a smile pulling at his lips.

“Already up again?” Jack asked, sleep heavy in his tone. “ _Damn_ , you don't sleep long, do you?”

Rhys opted to not answer that, furrowing his eyebrows as he studied Jack's features, “You didn't have to stay here all night, you know.”

Jack just shrugged idly, “If I didn't want to, then I wouldn't have, kiddo.”

Something about Jack's words made Rhys smile, a light warmth spreading through his cheeks as he considered that. Jack wasn't here because he felt obligated to, but because he _wanted_ to. He **actually** wanted to.

A silence followed as Rhys maneuvered himself to straddle Jack's lap, each of his hands resting on Jack's shoulders. It was then that Rhys finally noticed that he didn't recognize the shirt he was wearing until now, the light from outside making it much more clear what he was dressed in. The sleeves were long and yellow, but they were a much more vibrant and pigmented yellow than his hoodie.

Finally, he looked down at himself to see Hyperion's logo on the front of it written in bold white letters. At the bottom of the long sleeve shirt was a poorly done patch job of where the shirt looked to have ripped quite some time ago. Rhys stared at the shirt with widened eyes before returning his gaze back up to his professor, “When did I...? This isn't my shirt?”

Jack was chuckling deeply and expectantly as he said, “I was wondering when you'd finally notice. It's mine. Well, _was_ mine. Got that shirt on my first day at Hyperion.”

“Then why am I...?” Rhys trailed off, confusion clear in his tone and expression.

“You got blood and alcohol all over your other shirt. You were a frickin' mess. Had that shirt lying around in my car, so I figured I'd give it to ya,” Jack recounted as though it was no big deal. But it was. To Rhys, it was a very, _very_ big deal.

Rhys could feel his heart swell at the thought that he was wearing Jack's shirt. Not just _any_ shirt of Jack's, but an _official Hyperion shirt._ Rhys tried to say something, but it just came out as stuttered starts, “I.. I don't... Know what to say.”

There was pure amusement in Jack's expression as his lips curled up into a grin, “Thanks is usually where people start when they're given something. I dunno. _Maybe_.”

“ _Thank you!_ ” Rhys suddenly blurted out, realizing a bit too late that it just made him sound a bit silly. “I-I mean... Really, thank you, Jack. It's... I love it.”

“Sure thing,” Jack snickered with a nod. “How much of last night do you even remember?”

After several blinks, Rhys furrowed his brow as he tried to think it over, trying to piece together what he could of his intoxicated memories. The last thing he remembered was getting to the Purple Skag, getting a drink there with Vaughn, and then... He called Jack. _Oh shit._

“Wait,” Rhys began with the shake of his head, trying to rack his brain. “I... Called you, right?”

With a snort, Jack agreed, “Yep. And you said some puh- _retty_ embarrassing shit.”

Embarrassed waves of heat began to jump to life within his cheeks as he glared at Jack, “ _Don't. Even._ ”

That got a hearty laugh out of Jack, his words coming in between the chortles, “Hey, you wanted to know if you called. I'm just tellin' it like it is, Rhysie.”

“Maybe it's better I don't remember then,” Rhys said with the roll of his eyes. “Especially if you're gonna be an _ass_ about it.”

Jack just shrugged, “I kicked a guy's ass for you and you still think _I'm_ an ass? Alright, that's fair.”

Rhys could feel his eyebrows pull together at that, “You keep mentioning that. Is that why my lip's all messed up?”

“Yeah,” Jack agreed. “Your drunk ass rammed a door into some guy's face, he got pissed, and apparently you made fun of his nose. Knocked you out and I showed up just in time to beat the shit out of him. Aren't I a hero?”

“ _Oh my God_ ,” Rhys sighed, bringing his flesh hand up to rub at his eyes. “I don't know whether to thank you or still be pissed at you...”

“Oh, well _excuse me_ , princess, you're very welcome,” Jack scoffed, sounding just as sarcastic as he did annoyed.

Pulling his hand away from his face, Rhys shook his head, not wanting to deal with Jack's attitude on the matter, “Look, Jack, I appreciate what you did for me last night, okay? I do. But... We still need to talk. About us.”

A silence decided to settle itself between the two as Jack pursed his lips, something seeming to come onto his mind and linger as he chewed over Rhys' words. The quiet atmosphere was beginning to make Rhys uncomfortable before Jack was taking a deep breath, “Alright, Rhys, I get that you're worried. And I'll be honest here, kiddo, I'm kinda worried too. I haven't been with anyone since my wife, let alone one of my own goddamn students. But it is what it is. And what it _is_ , I like.”

Rhys had to admit, he was taken aback by Jack's frankness. It was almost like Jack had been rehearsing the words. Maybe he _had_ been. And maybe that's why he wasn't ready to talk about it before, that he needed more time to get his thoughts together on it all. Nonetheless, Rhys continued to listen in silence.

After a moment, Jack turned his eyes away from Rhys as he continued, “This is risking my job and it's risking your schooling, I get that, so we'll just need to be careful. Hell, I'm probably more aware of the risks here than you are.” Suddenly, Jack returned his gaze back to his student. “But that's not gonna stop me from wanting you.”

Yet again, Jack Lawrence found a way to make Rhys speechless again. Except, it was on a whole other level this time. Rhys felt his right hand moving up to slowly brush along Jack's cheek, his own mismatched eyes studying the older man carefully.

“Besides,” Jack added a moment later. “It won't really be a problem in a few more months. You _technically_ won't be my student anymore then.”

Rhys didn't actually think it was possible, but he felt so much more relieved than he had in a very long time. It was hard not to feel relieved with everything Jack had just said. Jack really must have put a lot more thought into this than Rhys ever realized. For some time, he was beginning to think that this _'relationship'_ didn't mean much of anything to Jack other than a silly fling, that he wouldn't care if either of them got caught. But it seemed that was pretty much the opposite.

“ _Well?_ ” Jack suddenly said, his voice sounding a bit apprehensive. “You've been nagging me to talk so.. C'mon, talk, say something.”

There were no words that Rhys could find at that moment. In fact, he was sure if he tried to say anything, it would come out in an incoherent mess as it was. So he did the only thing he knew he could do right, leaning forward and pressing his lips to Jack's.

Although he seemed a bit surprised at the sudden affection, it was only a split moment later before Jack was carefully and tentatively, as to not hurt Rhys, returning the kiss. Rhys allowed his fingers to push through Jack's hair, leaning even further into the kiss and deepening it. But interrupting the moment was a piercing and loud ringtone that Rhys recognized right away.

Even though he didn't want to, Rhys pulled away to look at Jack expectantly, “ You gonna answer that?”

A sigh of slight disappointment left Jack's lungs as he reached into his pocket to pull out his phone, “Yeah, that's my daughter.”

Before another ring could pervade the air, Jack answered as Rhys leaned back and settled onto Jack's lap, “Hey Angel, what's up baby?”

Rhys could almost laugh at the look that formed on Jack's face in the following silence, something that he could only describe as a pout forming on his lips. His tone turned out much more flat than when he answered, “Okay, _okay_ , don't get your panties in a bunch, Tims tams, I'll be home soon.”

That got Rhys to furrow his eyebrows, but he slowly realized then that it must not actually be his daughter. He had to wonder if it was his brother instead.

“What's that?” Jack asked, feigning innocent curiosity. “I'm sorry, I couldn't hear you over your _bitching and whining_.” A pause, then Jack was laughing. “Calm your tits, you won't be late. Give me like... _Thirty_ minutes and I'll be there.”

Without waiting for a response, Jack hung up before sighing, “That was my brother. Need to get home because he's gotta go to work soon.”

Rhys could feel himself deflate a bit at that, his shoulders falling somewhat as he looked down, “Oh, okay...”

The next moment, Rhys could feel one of Jack's hands on his chin, tilting his face up until their eyes met once more as he reassured him, “ _Hey_ , don't get all sad face on me.”

“I'm not,” Rhys responded immediately, a small pout forming on his lips.

Jack couldn't help but smirk, an eyebrow raising, “Yeah, you definitely are. Don't worry though, think I'd just leave without a little fun?”

“What do you-- _ahh..!_ ”

The unexpected sensation of Jack's free hand snaking into Rhys' boxers and trailing his fingertips over his member filled Rhys' entirety, causing him to shiver as he willed it to harden. Rhys gasped as he could feel it working, his length _definitely_ growing in its arousal to the touches.

“ _Wait_ ,” Rhys urged, but he made no attempts at trying to make Jack stop, “don't you have to get home?”

That got a snort out of Jack, “I told my brother I'd be there in thirty minutes. We've got just enough time for a quickie. How 'bout it, Rhysie?”

Rhys chuckled shakily, “You're horrible.”

Jack just smirked, his fingers continuing their motions on Rhys' dick and growing in their fervor, “And yet I still don't hear you complaining.”

“ _Nggh_ ,” Rhys tried his best to stifle a moan, gritting his teeth as he did so. “Fuck you, Jack.”

Despite his reservations, Rhys could feel his body responding to Jack's movements in kind, his hips beginning to buck lightly into the strokes. There at his ass, Rhys felt Jack's own member with each of his movements and soon he was moving against it deliberately, grinding his hips in an attempt to get a rise of out Jack.

“I hope Vaughn's not awake yet,” Rhys murmured absently, his breaths growing deeper as Jack was now gripping his cock and pumping it.

“With how _loud_ you are?” Jack asked rhetorically, deep chuckles pervading his words. “He's gonna be awake soon either way.”

The younger man shot a challenging smile at his teacher, “We'll see about that.”

With the challenge set, Rhys could feel his excitement and impatience growing, all feelings of a horrible hangover left behind in the wake of his desire. He was quick to scoot himself back, his hands making quick work of the button and zipper of Jack's pants before he was tugging them and his boxers down enough to free his semi-erect member. Rhys wasted no time before he was stroking it, willing his thick length to grow harder.

It took Rhys a moment to realize Jack was leaning over to the nightstand to grab a condom packet and the bottle of lube, Jack wordlessly opening the packet. As Jack was rolling the condom down onto his member, Rhys had moved over to the side to remove his boxers, along with the shirt so it wouldn't get dirty, before he was settling back onto Jack.

Jack's motions were quick as he began coating his covered dick with the slick lube, the job done swiftly and haphazardly. As Rhys moved up onto his knees, he could feel the sudden entrance of two of Jack's fingers slipping within his tight entrance, causing Rhys to gasp as Jack prepared him with a few slippery thrusts. Not a moment later, Jack seemed to deem Rhys ready as he pulled his fingers away, the sudden absence already making Rhys ache for more.

“So eager to get my dick in you, huh?” Jack murmured in a hurried hiss as Rhys was reaching back with his left hand to line up Jack's length with his hole.

Rhys hesitated only a moment before he was easing himself down onto Jack's cock, slowly but surely pressing him deeper within. A low groan, caught somewhere between pleasure and pain, seeped past Rhys' parted lips as he lowered himself down further before the older man was sheathed fully inside him.

Letting out a deep and satisfied sigh of pleasure, Jack smiled up at Rhys crookedly, “So friggin' tight and _perfect_.”

The rushed nature of the entire moment made it all the more euphoric, Rhys' fingers digging into the fabric at Jack's shoulders as he brought himself up before sliding back down. A comfortable pace was set, the rhythm sating both of the men for only a moment more before Rhys was increasing his motions. Before long he was slamming down harder and quicker than before, riding Jack's length with a fervor and purpose.

“ _Shit_ ,” Jack cursed, his hands clasping tightly to Rhys' hips and holding him up before he was slamming his hips up into Rhys. He fucked him harder and faster than Rhys had, his motions rough and sloppy but incredibly satisfying.

“ _Ahh!_ ” Rhys cried out quite loudly, his metal hand immediately clamping over his mouth, attempting to stifle anymore louder moans. He pressed the cool metal tightly against his lips, ignoring the sharp pain of his lip as air came in and out of his nose sharply and quickly.

“ _Come on, baby_ ,” Jack growled, his length sinking into Rhys seemingly harder with each thrust. “I like it when you're noisy.”

At that, Rhys just shook his head vigorously, another long and deep moan vibrating his throat as Jack continued to pound into him. Again and again, Rhys was trying to keep his moans quiet in his throat, but it was getting harder with each passing moment. As if that wasn't enough, it got even more difficult when Rhys could feel Jack hitting his prostate at particular thrusts, each time Rhys clenching tighter around Jack's member.

The older man laughed in a husky and labored chuckle as he muttered, “You like that, pumpkin?”

Immediately, Rhys nodded quickly as he sewed his eyes shut, each of Jack's following thrusts done deliberately to hit that sweet, wonderful spot that made Rhys see stars nearly each time. Air burnt his nose as it slipped past in quick streams, the moans of pleasure in his throat just begging to be freed as they pervaded the room. Even Jack let out a few groans of euphoria with every other thrust, his chest rising and falling in large motions as his lungs burst for more air.

Practically without warning, Rhys felt his orgasm overcome his senses, his hot seed coming out in spurts. It was a surprisingly powerful climax despite having very little attention to his own member, Jack's continued thrusts only prolonging that sense of pleasure and stimulation.

Barely a minute later, Jack cursed before moaning deeply, his thrusts slowing as he reached his own orgasm, riding out his high for just a few more thrusts before he stilled completely. Both men sat still for several moments, only the sound of their labored breaths filling the air. Finally, Rhys slowly pulled his metal hand away from his mouth to breathe better, each of their hazy gazes locking for a moment before Jack was smiling up at Rhys lazily.

“Alright,” Jack said with a satisfied sigh. “Up, up. I gotta go.”

Although Rhys didn't want to, he complied, lifting himself up and allowing Jack to slip out of him before he was rolling onto the bed. Yet again, Jack left Rhys covered in his own sweat and cum, and somehow that was what left him feeling the happiest. Despite probably one of the shittiest hangovers ever, the aftermath of his orgasm left him in a high enough bliss to ignore it a little while longer.

After Jack stood, it took Rhys a moment to realize Jack was leaning over his form and pressing his lips against the younger's in a passionate kiss that was far too short for Rhys' liking. It didn't last long before Jack was pulling away, standing up straight and stretching.

“Little passed-out-McGee out there said he'll be leaving after this weekend,” Jack remarked as he removed the condom, tossing it over into the nearby trashbin before he was pulling his pants back up. “That true?”

Rhys could feel a sigh seeping past his lips as he turned his head to look over at Jack, “Yeah, like I said, he was only staying until his spring break was over. Which was this week. Did you even listen when I told you that?”

Jack hummed as he began to slip his shoes on, considering it for a moment before he responded flatly, “Hmmm, _nope_ , sorry, don't think so. But that means he won't be around anymore, right?”

“Yes,” Rhys responded a bit pointedly, rolling his eyes in the process. “Bet you're just _so happy_ about that.”

“I am, actually,” Jack agreed, his tone a bit more upbeat as he slipped his other shoe on. “Means more of you for me, cupcake.”

Rhys knew that whatever he would say on the matter probably wouldn't change Jack's attitude toward his friend. At this point, he was sure _nothing_ would. Jack just didn't like Vaughn all that much, and as much as it annoyed Rhys, it wouldn't much be worth it to cause a fuss over. Besides, with this kind of hangover? He wasn't looking for any kind of confrontation on the matter as it was.

“Welp, I'll show my pretty self out,” Jack commented as he straightened out his jacket before he was moving over to the bedroom door. “Might wanna clean yourself up, Rhysie. You look like a mess.”

And with that, Jack had slipped out of his bedroom and soon, Rhys could hear the front door open and close as well. Rhys wasn't sure how much longer he sat there, digesting everything that had just happened. They'd finally talked about their situation and now Rhys was feeling more confident than ever before. Although he was still anxious and unsure on a lot of things, the one thing he was sure about was how much he was falling for Jack.

With a creeping smile find its way onto his lips, Rhys looked over to his right, grabbing Jack's-- _his_ Hyperion shirt before bringing it up to his face and pressing it against his nose. It smelled strongly of Jack's citrus musk, stinging his nostrils in an incredibly pleasant and wonderful way that made him smile more with each second.

God, he already loved this shirt.

 


	17. Dinner and dessert

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rhys is invited over to Jack's place to meet his family and have dinner with them, but there's a big and scary question weighing on Rhys' mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feels like it's been forever since I've updated but it really hasn't been that long at all! I've been working on other stuff so much, I feel like I've missed this story ;u;
> 
> Anyway, bit of NSFW fun at the end! Thank you all as always for the continued support!

Although Rhys had been looking forward to his spring break for the past several weeks, the week of freedom had gone by quite fast. After Vaughn had left that Sunday afternoon, things with Jack had been surprisingly easy and comfortable. Rhys had even managed to get an apology or two out of Jack for acting like such an ass about Vaughn, something he realized was probably easier to do now that Vaughn had gone back to Pandora.

He was glad to have left things on a good note with his best friend. He'd explained to Vaughn that he'd finally talked to his teacher, _properly_ talked, and that things would work out. He reassured him over and over that things would be fine, that they would be careful, and although Vaughn still seemed apprehensive about it all, he decided to just take Rhys' word for it. That was something of a relief to Rhys, making the following week with Jack better than he could've expected. The only downside to it all was Rhys' air conditioning had stopped working and the week had a sudden heat wave, forcing Rhys to have to open all his windows during the day, but it could've been worse, he supposed.

Nearly every day, Rhys and Jack would go out for lunch, sometimes even Jack fixed lunch for him (who knew he was _actually_ a good cook?), and their times in the bedroom were still as wild and fun as they had been from the start. One thing Rhys couldn't bring himself to even ask Jack about was what their relationship actually was. Beyond the whole _teacher student thing_ , were they actually together? Like boyfriends? Rhys just kept telling him that _had_ to be the case, but Jack just wasn't very vocal about these sort of titles. He'd much rather do than talk.

Now that Saturday had rolled around and his spring break was nearing its end, Jack had actually invited Rhys over for dinner at his place. It was a bit unexpected and Rhys was frankly a bit nervous because that certainly meant he was going to be meeting his daughter, Angel, for the first time.

She'd no doubt have questions about just who he was to Jack, so what was he supposed to say? That he really was just Jack's student and nothing more? It really made the issue come to the forefront the more Rhys pondered just how he'd explain why Jack was giving a student of his such personal treatment. And what about _after_ he was no longer his student? _What then?_

Rhys tried to just shake the thoughts from his mind as he climbed into the passenger seat of Jack's car, pulling the door shut and buckling himself in.

“Hey, just a little FYI, my brother's gonna be there too,” Jack remarked as he pulled out from the parking lot of Rhys' apartment complex, his eyes not flickering from the road for a moment.

That got Rhys to look over at Jack, his eyebrows raising slightly, “Is your brother anything like you?”

Jack just laughed like he'd heard a hilarious joke that Rhys wasn't privy to, “Well, _depends_ what you mean. Personality-wise? Timothy is _pretty_ different from me. Which is funny because he's my identical twin. We got the same pretty mug, but _hoo_ boy, we could **not** be any more different.”

“Wait,” Rhys responded suddenly, his eyes widening in the process. “You have a _twin brother?_ Like an **_actual_**... Twin brother?”

“Uhhh, _yeah?_ ” Jack drew out, his amusement mixing with confusion. “I literally just said that?”

A flurry of excitement drew itself to life within Rhys' chest as he got the biggest and dumbest grin on his face, his shoulders scrunching up as well as he chimed, “Oh my God, I've never met _actual_ twins before, this is... **Really** cool. Like really, _really_ cool. Does he seriously look like you?”

It took Rhys a good solid few seconds or so to realize just how embarrassing he was sounding, Jack's side glance and raising eyebrow only compounding that. “Isn't that the whole point of being _identical frickin' twins_ , Rhys?” Jack retorted in an estranged amusement, his question not entirely rhetorical.

“Oh. Right. Yeah. Uh, sorry,” Rhys quickly blurted out, trying to reel back his excitement over it all as he scratched the back of his head. A few beats of radio-droning silence filled the car before he was clearing his throat and continuing, “And your daughter? She'll be there too, right?”

Rhys knew she was going to be there, they'd been over this somewhat before, but he needed to move on from his momentary lapse in composure. Jack didn't seem to mind as he chuckled and nodded, “Ah yeah, she will. My little Angel. She just turned nine a few months back. Sweetest little girl you'll ever meet. I think you two will get along pretty well.”

Despite the embarrassment, Rhys could feel himself smiling in nervous excitement, knowing that they were growing closer to Jack's place with every stoplight they passed. That was another thought that Rhys hadn't fully considered until now. Rhys had never even seen Jack's place, he barely knew anything about it only that it was a moderately sized house, at least from what Jack told him. He wasn't too big on the details so he was left with an image of the nicer neighborhoods of Helios in his imagination.

And really, he wasn't _too_ far off. They'd turned into a neighborhood that was tucked away into the heart of Helios, a neighborhood that Rhys himself didn't even know was a thing until now. It was surprising that he'd lived here for the past few years but had never even noticed this neighborhood. The houses weren't as nice as Rhys had imagined, but they were by no means terrible or run down. It felt very suburban, most of the houses thin two stories.

After a couple of stop signs and a left turn, Jack was pulling into the driveway of an off-yellow, almost beige house. It looked nearly like all the others, nothing much to set it apart or to show off that it belonged to Jack Lawrence. And somehow that was surprising. Nonetheless, Rhys followed Jack up to the front door, apprehension pooling even more than before in his stomach.

He was about to be in Jack's house. Meeting Jack's family. And having dinner with them. This was something he only could've _dreamed_ would happen months prior. But it was real.

“Yo, _daddy's home!_ ” Jack called out as he opened the door, leading the way in.

Rhys had to resist the urge to chortle at how he called himself _'daddy'_ as he stepped in behind Jack, Jack reaching over and closing the door behind him. Before them was a clean and white living room, even most of the furniture white. There were pictures of him and his daughter on the wall, interspersed with some of him and his brother. They seemed to be the only decorations far as Rhys could tell.

Suddenly, the form of a little girl was bursting out from an open doorway, a wide and bright smile on her pale face. She had long black hair in a single, messy ponytail, her dark bangs parted to one side, her blue eyes vibrant and striking, and the smallest hint of freckles on her cheeks. Her voice was cheerful as it was light as she exclaimed, “Welcome home, daddy!”

Without hesitation, Jack's daughter was wrapping her arms around Jack's waist, looking up at him with excitement, “Uncle Timmy let me make cookies all by myself!”

That got a delayed laugh out of Jack as he brushed back her bangs, “Oh, _did_ he now? You mean the cookies that _we_ were gonna make together? For your class bake sale? **_Those_ ** cookies?”

Suddenly, Angel's thin eyebrows were shooting up onto her forehead as her smile fell, “Oh-- _wait_ , oops, I wasn't supposed to tell you that.”

“Huh, _I wonder why_ ,” Jack sighed stiffly, small hints of annoyance in his tone.

Before Angel could respond, Rhys' eyes were caught by another form stepping out from what Rhys assumed was the kitchen, a man that Rhys immediately knew right away was Jack's twin brother. It was incredible how much the two looked alike. The only things that set them apart that Rhys could spot right away was Timothy didn't have the scar, nor the grey streak in his hair, and there was a very subtle hint of freckles on his cheeks, just like Angel.

Even their hair styles and damn near everything else was the exact same and it took Rhys a moment to even realize that Jack had been introducing them. They all looked at him expectantly, Rhys realizing that something had been said that he just didn't catch.

Rhys cleared his throat, bringing his mechanical hand up to scratch at the back of his head, “Uh, _hi_ , I'm Rhys.”

“ _Eeeee_ yeah,” Jack chimed in, sounding mildly amused. “I _just_ said that, dum dum.”

Jack's brother was suddenly smiling pleasantly at Rhys, offering his hand out to Rhys, “It's nice to meet you, Rhys.”

There was no more hesitation as Rhys reached forward with his right hand to Timothy's own, giving it a firm shake.

“ _Woaahhh_ ,” Angel was suddenly crowing as Rhys pulled his hand back to himself. “Do you have a _robot hand?!_ ”

“ _Hey, Angel_ ,” Jack hissed. “C'mon, leave him be.”

Normally, Rhys would be far too embarrassed about this, but the look on her face was just downright adorable. She looked as though she was looking at the coolest thing in the world and she couldn't take her eyes off what was visible of his metal hand. She was just so full of awe that it was hard to be anything other than flattered.

Rhys laughed lightly as he reassured Jack, “No, it's okay, really. See, it's not _just_ a robot hand.”

Deciding to try and impress her more, Rhys was pulling up the sleeve of his dark grey jacket to reveal more of his arm, up to the elbow hinge, “It's a robot _arm_.”

Rhys was sure that he heard a little gasp come from Angel as her eyes widened, her voice remaining in awe, “Can I touch it?!”

After another laugh, Rhys crouched down to be more on her level, offering it out to her as he nodded, “Sure, go ahead.”

Slowly but surely, Angel began running her thin fingers over the metal, pausing at the ridges and grooves where there were glowing blue bits. She looked so utterly fascinated, it was hard not to simply smile at how amazed she was.

“Didn't you make some arm models when you worked back at Hyperion?” Timothy was asking suddenly, causing Rhys' gaze to move back up to the brothers.

Jack just shrugged before he placed his hands on his hips, “Not that build  _specifically_ , nah. I _did_ come up with the original prototype model and design, though.”

Suddenly, Rhys' eyebrows rose in surprise, “Wait, _what?_ You never told me that!”

A smirk settled on Jack's lips, “Can't be giving away _all_ my cool little secrets all at once, now can I?” Not lingering on the subject, Jack moved one hand to shove at his brother's chest. “Let's get dinner started. You, lil' Tim Tim, are definitely helping. _Chop chop._ ”

Jack didn't wait for a response before he was stepping past Timothy and making his way towards the kitchen, his brother following in tow as he chuckled, “Sure thing, Jack.”

“How did you lose it?” Angel was suddenly asking once more, her fingers now playing with Rhys' own mechanical ones.

Slowly, Rhys could feel his smile fall and he allowed silence to settle between them. It was a question that he really didn't like to get into at all, _especially_ to a little girl, but he didn't want to just not answer her at all either. So he took a deep breath and found the best explanation he could.

“A _really_ bad accident,” Rhys admitted finally. “I almost died.”

For seemingly the umpteenth time that day, Angel's eyes widened as she returned her piercing blue eyes to him, “You did?! That must've been _really_ scary. Did it... Did it hurt?”

“Yeah, it was scary and it hurt a lot,” Rhys responded with a forced smile and gentle nod. “But my friend saved me and it was all okay in the end.”

Almost immediately, Angel's bright smile was returning, “Because you got a cool robot arm, right?”

“You're darn right!” came Rhys' laughing agreement.

“How is it attached?” Angel asked immediately, awe and curiosity still teeming in her voice. “How do you even _move_ it?”

There was no helping the huff of a chuckle from escaping Rhys' nose as he asked, “You're _really_ full of questions, aren't you?”

That got several nods from Angel, “I wanna grow up to be like daddy, I wanna make robot stuff at Hyperion!”

“Hey, me too!” Rhys said with a wider smile. “That's why I'm your daddy's student, y'know. So you wanna know how it moves, huh?”

Once more, Angel was nodding vigorously and excitedly. She was really far too cute. How the hell did someone so sweet possibly have Jack Lawrence's blood flowing through their veins?

***

Dinner was delicious. Rhys had learned earlier that week that Jack was pretty _fantastic_ when it came to making food. When Rhys had commented on it the first time he'd tried Jack's cooking, Jack just told him that he was mostly a _'stress cooker'_. Cooking was the one thing that forced him to calm down and with his temperament, it helped to focus all that energy into a single task. So of course, Jack had just gotten better at it.

“Alright, Angel, time for you to get ready for bed,” Jack finally spoke up as he pushed his plate aside, raising an eyebrow at his daughter.

As expected, Angel looked disappointed, her lips forming a pout as she whined, “But daddy, I wanna stay up and talk to Rhys and uncle Timmy some more...”

It was really endearing how much she seemed to have warmed up to Rhys, and he couldn't help but smile at that. Rhys had been mildly worried that maybe Jack's daughter wouldn't like him for one reason or another, or that maybe she just wouldn't care for his company at all, but to find that she actually wanted to stay and talk to him? _That_ was pretty cool in Rhys' book. Even if it was just because he had this arm. It still made his day.

“ _C'mon_ , Angel,” Timothy was urging as he stood from his chair across from Rhys, stepping over to Angel in her seat and offering out his hand to her. “You heard daddy.”

Suddenly, Angel was looking over to Rhys pleadingly, almost like she was begging him to step in and stop her bedtime from happening. All he could do was give her an apologetic smile and a small shrug.

“Don't worry, Angel, I'm sure we'll hang out again.”

For a few moments, Rhys was beginning to think that she had nothing to say to that, her silence carrying on. But finally, she slumped, an exaggerated sigh escaping her lips as she slid out of her seat and took Timothy's hand, “Okay, fineeeee...”

Rhys had to admit, he _did_ feel for her. Bedtime when you were a kid was always the worst, especially when there was new company over. He couldn't even count the amount of times he'd thrown a fit at her age when his parents made him go to bed.

As she was walking away, she gave a sad but smiling wave over to Rhys, and he was returning it with his metal hand until she was gone around the corner and heading up the stairs with her uncle.

“Cutest and sweetest little girl you've ever seen, huh?”

The immediate sound of Jack's voice caught Rhys a bit off guard as he returned his attention back to the older man, his soft smile still lingering as he agreed, “Yeah, she really is.”

Not a moment passed before Jack was standing and gathering a few dishes, his own mismatched eyes studying Rhys carefully as he warned, “And you can be sure as shit if you do _anything_ to her, **I'll kick your ass**.”

Okay, that came out of nowhere and very suddenly. Rhys could feel himself go rigid, Jack's tone a bit more serious than he was anticipating. Was he... _Really_ being as serious as he sounded?

“Uh...” Rhys began slowly, being careful and mindful of his words. “Why would I--”

Cutting Rhys off, Jack began cackling quite loudly as he moved over to the sink with the dishes, “I'm just _screwing_ with you. Man, the look on your face was priceless.”

Oh, he should've guessed that. But it was hard to guess anything with Jack. And even then, it was a pretty dangerous guessing game around him.

Rhys just sighed as he shook his head, “She's a kid, _your_ kid for that matter. I'm not gonna do anything to her.”

As Jack began rinsing off some of the dishes, he responded, “ _Nah_ , I know you wouldn't. Otherwise I wouldn't've let you get within ten feet of her. She really seems to like ya, kiddo.”

Rhys allowed a small silence to settle over the atmosphere, his body shifting a bit uncomfortably as he asked tentatively, “You didn't tell her...”

“Uhh, didn't tell her _what?_ ” Jack asked curiously, a pointed eyebrow raising as he looked back at Rhys.

Biting onto his lower lip, Rhys then decided he should at least try to help with the dishes, grabbing the rest off the table before making his way over to Jack. He set them down beside the sink, continuing as he did so, “You know... About _us_..?”

That got a loud scoff out of Jack, “ _Hell_ no, all she knows is you're just my best student with a cool robot arm. Even my brother doesn't know.”

Rhys wasn't sure what he was expecting, but he was actually... _Surprised?_ From what he'd gathered, Jack and his brother seemed to be pretty close, so it was surprising that he hadn't at least mentioned it to his twin. But maybe it was better that way, at least for now. Then again... How would that subject even be handled?

Again came that question that Rhys couldn't get over: what exactly _were_ they? Rhys was almost scared to ask, but what was the worst that could happen?

“So, uh, Jack,” Rhys began slowly, handing a plate over to Jack before he was rinsing it off.

Jack turned his attention over to Rhys, watching him expectantly with a raised eyebrow, “'Sup?”

Now suddenly Rhys couldn't get the words to come out of his throat. They clung to it tightly, not wanting to come up and be spoken no matter how hard Rhys tried. He could feel his mouth going dry the more he tried and he realized Jack was probably getting impatient as he just stood there, mouth agape and trying to get out that stupid question. He couldn't do it.

“Thanks for dinner,” Rhys suddenly spurted, really disappointed in himself for letting the question go without a proper answer once more.

Jack just slowly smiled, giving a small nod, “No problem. Lemme finish up these dishes then I'll get ya home, pumpkin.”

Rhys could feel his teeth worrying his lower lip as he smiled back, “Sounds good...”

***

The question was still burning on Rhys' mind, begging to find an answer that Rhys couldn't come up with on his own, even as they were driving back to Rhys' place. The quiet of the car ride was only making it worse, even Jack being uncharacteristically silent. It was... Incredibly uncomfortable.

“Am I gonna see you tomorrow?” Rhys finally broke the silence, turning his eyes over to Jack as they came to a stoplight.

Jack simply gave a smirk over to Rhys as he glanced his way, “Was plannin' on it. Why?”

Rhys shrugged slightly, “Just wondering.”

Once more, the background noise of the radio was the only sound within the car before Jack spoke up again, “Alright, _something's_ up with you, what's wrong?”

At that, Rhys could feel his lips purse tighter than before as he swallowed roughly, his head shaking quickly as he watched Jack, “ _Nothing!_ Nothing's wrong.”

“Oh, _please_ ,” Jack scoffed as the car pulled them past the now green light. “Don't bullshit me. I've got the best bullshit meter and quite frankly, it's going _way_ off the charts right now.”

This was a conversation that Rhys thought he was definitely ready for, that he _needed_ to have today. But the more he thought about it, the more he realized that he wasn't ready. That he wasn't ready for whatever answer Jack would have for him. And more than likely it was because he was scared to hear the wrong thing. That they weren't actually anything more than just... Well, a couple of guys that had sex together.

He was scared because he knew it would hurt. He was scared because more and more, he was _properly_ falling for Jack. Even though he tended to be an asshole, wasn't the most tactful, and _definitely_ had his stupid flaws... Rhys found them more endearing than anything else. Because he saw a side to Jack that was buried beneath the smirks and chides. And it was so, _so_ wonderful to Rhys.

It wasn't a conversation he was ready for, so he needed to think of something to change the subject or just flat out lie. But if he lied, then Jack probably wouldn't fall for it. So he definitely needed to change the subject or distract the older man. It took a moment more of thought before he knew just what to do.

Without hesitation, Rhys was reaching his hand over to Jack's crotch, finding his member and rubbing at it through the fabric of his pants. Jack jumped at the sudden touch, seemingly not expecting that for even a moment.

Jack's pointed eyebrows flew up in surprise, “ _Woah_ there, cupcake. I appreciate it, really, but shouldn't we at least wait until we get back to your place?”

Rhys was quickly shaking his head, feeling as though the distraction was working, “I want you _now_.” Which wasn't a lie, honestly. He always wanted Jack. So really this was a way that everyone would win, in one way or another.

“While I'm driving?” Jack chuckled, his hands remaining steady on the steering wheel. “Damn, someone's a little on the greedy side.”

Rhys dragged his fingers along Jack's clothed length, feeling it swelling already, “You saying you don't want it?”

“You're _really_ gonna test my driving skills here,” Jack sighed, but the hint of a playful smile tugged at the corner of his lips. “But go for it. If we crash and die, I'm blaming you. Just so ya know.”

With that, Rhys unbuckled his seat belt as he smiled, licking his lips before he quickly unbuttoned and unzipped Jack's pants, tugging them down slightly before he was pulling Jack's semi-erect cock out from his boxers. It was a bit uncomfortable as Rhys leaned across to get level with Jack's length, but Rhys didn't really care.

Not even a moment passed before Rhys was encompassing the head of Jack's dick into his mouth, dragging it deeper past his lips and sucking hard. The sensation of Jack's right hand carding through Rhys' hair urged the younger man on, taking more and more of his length until it hit the back of his throat.

He didn't let it linger there, pulling back up and swirling his tongue around the pulsating head, making a low sigh come from Jack's lips, “ _Shit_ , I'll never get tired of your friggin' perfect mouth.”

The compliment seemed to spur Rhys on, his tongue moving back and forth along the side as he took Jack deeply into his mouth once more. He pressed his cock into his mouth more and more, stopping finally when his nose was tickled by the zipper of Jack's pants before he was dragging his sucking mouth back up once more.

“We gotta stop doing this stuff in my car,” Jack chuckled lowly, his fingertips making minute massages as Rhys bobbed down once more, sucking roughly and firmly. “The smell of sex keeps ruining the air fresheners I put in here.”

Rhys couldn't help but laugh at that, the chuckles sending vibrations throughout Jack's member that made the older man groan in response. It was hard to tell whether they were still moving or not, all that Rhys knew was the taste of Jack as he continued to slide in and out of his mouth.

As Rhys pulled off his member with a wet pop, he smirked up at Jack, “ _You_ started it, y'know.”

“I can't help it that I can't keep my hands off you,” Jack said almost nonchalantly, like it was just such a fact that could be used in passing conversation. Rhys wasn't sure why, but that just made him want him all the more.

Moving back to the task at hand, Rhys encircled Jack's now leaking head into his lips, sucking tightly to the sensitive flesh as he ran his tongue over the slit. That really seemed to work for Jack, a low moan rumbling his throat as he bucked his hips upward.

“Goddamn, you're gonna make me cum in that pretty mouth,” Jack hissed as Rhys brought him deeper into his mouth, using both his flesh hand and lips as he bobbed up and down his entire length.

Each movement grew quicker and with it, came more powerful sucks that left Jack moaning and squirming in his seat. Rhys could feel a growing ache in his jaw the longer this went on, but he didn't care. All he cared about was feeling Jack releasing into his mouth and getting that wonderful sweet taste he'd come to love.

“ _ **Fuck**_ ,” Jack cursed through clenched teeth, his breaths deep and labored. “I'm gonna cum, baby. _I'm gonna cum!_ ”

Not even a second later, Rhys could feel Jack emptying himself right onto his tongue, the hot and sticky liquid immediately going down his throat as it came in large spurts. Rhys slowed his movements until the last of his release leaked from his head, every drop already vanished as Rhys finally pulled off his length.

“Well _shit_ ,” Jack sighed in a content manner. “That was a nice little surprise. What was the occasion, huh?”

Rhys could feel his smile growing as they came to another stoplight, Jack readjusting himself before zipping his pants back up, “Does there _need_ to be an occasion for it?”

Jack laughed quite heartily in response to that, “Nah, guess you're right there. Gonna repay the favor once we're back at your place, though. Count on that one, kiddo.”

 


	18. Lost and found

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Minx goes missing and Rhys calls on Jack for help, but Rhys grows frustrated and demands answers from Jack as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry this took so long to update, but I think I'm finally back on the ball with getting chapters written! So hopefully updates will speed up a bit. Fingers crossed, thank you all so much for the support!

Things were going relatively normal for a Sunday midmorning. Rhys woke up, he took a shower, he made himself a bowl of cereal, and then he started to open a can of cat food for Minx. It was all in the norm. Except for the fact that Minx _wasn't_ showing up. Usually the moment that Rhys even grabbed a can from the pantry, there she came running and she would rub all against his legs in suspense of getting some food. But he'd already opened it, poured it into her small bowl, and set it on the ground.

Rhys tried calling out for her, thinking that maybe she somehow slipped into the bathroom and got stuck there. That _has_ happened a time or two, but she would usually be meowing quite loudly to get his attention. Instead, the apartment was quiet beyond the drone of the TV in the living room.

He searched everywhere. His bedroom, the bathroom, closet, living room, behind the couch, under his bed, and behind the fridge, even. But nothing. Not even the sound of her name tag as it jingled against her collar. So now Rhys was getting worried. _Very_ worried.

He could feel the tight ball of anxiety in his stomach tighten as he realized something that was _extremely_ noticeable now. His front facing window in the living room was still ajar. He'd forgotten to close it before going to bed the night before. What with the AC being out and the heat wave just barely beginning to slip out from Helios, it hadn't been on his mind that Minx might could escape through it. It was easy to keep his eye on her during the day, but she'd always been more active in the night.

This wasn't good and Rhys was beginning to panic. He needed help finding her. Vaughn was the first person his thoughts went to, but that wouldn't do. Vaughn was all the way back in Pandora, a good hour or two's drive from here, plus he had class and work to deal with. Then he thought of Jack. Maybe Jack could help him.

Before he could think twice, Rhys was bringing out his phone and selecting Jack's number, begging and pleading silently for his professor to answer. After several rings, Rhys was beginning to think that maybe he wouldn't pick up, but on nearly the last ring, there was Jack's voice.

“ _Yyyeh_ llo,” Jack answered quite cheerfully, throwing Rhys off a bit. But he just shook his head slightly.

“Jack,” Rhys began, his mouth starting to grow dry and his voice sounding tired already. “You remember my cat, right? Minx?”

Jack hummed, seeming to think it over for a moment before he answered, “Oh _yeah_ , that little furball that wouldn't let me pet her. Yeah, sure, why?”

“She's gone,” once those words left Rhys' mouth, it cemented every fear he had, tears beginning to well in the backs of his eyes. He forced them away, trying to remind himself to keep calm. “I left a window open overnight and she must've gotten through it and—and I don't know how far she's gone, when she left, or—or _where_ she is, Jack, I—“

“Woah, woah, _woah_ , slow down, kiddo,” Jack urged as comfortingly as he could. “Calm down, she couldn't have gotten far, alright? I'll be there after I drop Angel off at her friend's. So chill out. Just keep lookin'.”

Swallowing roughly, Rhys nodded to himself as he muttered, “Okay... Okay, thanks.”

The moment Rhys hung up, he was out the door and looking about. He leaned over the railing of the second floor landing, looking about the immediate area for any sign of Minx. She should've been easy to spot— her bright white coat should've stuck out immediately. He quickly went downstairs, calling out her name every so often as he searched the area directly below the window he'd left open. But there was nothing. No sign of her, not even any loose tufts of fur.

The panic and worry was still there, his mouth having long gone dry as he made his way back to his apartment. His footsteps felt heavy and he felt like he just wanted to break down. Minx meant so incredibly much to Rhys and if he couldn't find her... He wasn't sure _what_ he was going to do.

He felt defeated as he reached his apartment door, using his flesh hand to quickly rub away at the tears that kept building within his eyes. The next moment, he was banging his head against his door, feeling incredibly angry at himself. With each bump of his head came another utterance of how stupid he was, how this was all his fault. He really had no one to blame here but himself and that just made him feel all the worse.

"Way to go, Rhys... You idiot," Rhys growled under his breath, shaking his head as he did so.

The sound of footsteps were quickly approaching up the steps, causing Rhys to try and compose himself a little more. Maybe whoever this was might've seen her around, could help point him in the right direction.

Rhys was sure to clear his eyes before he was turning to see that it was none other than Jack making his way up the last step and approaching. Part of him was hoping it was one of his neighbors, but he supposed this was better than nothing.

“Hey, found her yet?” Jack asked with knit eyebrows.

Solemnly, Rhys shook his head, his eyes averting down to study the ground instead. Jack probably thought he was acting pathetic. Hell, even _Rhys_ thought he was being pathetic.

“What am I gonna do, Jack?” Rhys finally found his voice after a moment of silence, keeping his eyes on the ground.

“Well, for _starters_ , you're gonna buck up about it, stop worrying so much,” Jack encouraged, trying to sound as optimistic as possible. “Your little furball's just missing, she ain't dead. We'll make some signs and put 'em all over town.”

Rhys could only find it in him to nod sadly. He knew Jack was right, that there was no need to get so worried just yet. But not knowing where she was, if she was even okay, was breaking his heart the longer this all went on.

“ _Hey_ ,” Jack began again, moving closer. He placed each of his hands on Rhys' upper arms, rubbing his thumb soothingly over his left arm. “C'mon, everything will work out, trust me. Let's get working on those fliers, huh?”

***

One hour later, they had a hefty stack of missing cat papers printed out, the newest picture of Minx plastered on them with the offer of a monetary reward. And after nearly _another_ hour of placing them all over town, they'd finally ended up in a local park. The day was still warm and the clouds were growing much more dense by the moment, making it seem like a race against the clock to find her before it could storm.

But they'd had no such luck. Rhys was settled on a bench, just staring at his phone, hoping that someone had seen both the flier and Minx. Yet the longer he got no call and the longer they got no information, Rhys was feeling more and more defeated. They'd never find her, he kept telling himself. He felt like they'd already been at this for days yet it hadn't even been a few hours.

Suddenly, Rhys was aware of Jack's presence as he settled onto the bench next to him, “Welp, asked around here, no luck. One little old lady seemed really choked up about it though.”

If Rhys even grasped what Jack said, he made no indication of it. He just continued to stare down at his phone in silence, almost as if he was willing it to just light up already.

“Hey, Rhysie,” Jack tried to gain his attention, but Rhys didn't look away from his phone. “C'mon, it's gonna take some time.”

“Why do you care so much?” Rhys asked suddenly, quietly.

It was obvious the question confused Jack, his tone matching suit, “Uh, _what?_ ”

Finally, Rhys turned to look over at Jack as he restated in much more rushed words, “I'm just your _student_ , why are you helping me so much? Why are you even here? _Why do you care so much?!_ ”

Something cross between confusion and maybe even offense fell over Jack's features, “I have _no_ idea where this is even coming from, but you need to calm down and breathe, kiddo.”

“So you're just gonna avoid my questions?!” the younger man growled, seeming to grow frustrated, even.

Jack furrowed his eyebrows, “I'm not avoiding shit!”

Rhys turned to face Jack more properly, the grip he had on his phone tightening, “Then _answer_ me!”

With a deep sigh, Jack rubbed at his face before answering, “Well, you called me for help, so I came to help. It's not that complicated.”

“Yeah, but _why?_ ” Rhys urged. “You're just my teacher, you don't even _like_ my cat! You just keep calling her a furball! Her name is _Minx_ , not **_furball!_** ”

“ _Jesus_ , okay, sorry I called her a furball. What is this _about_ , Rhys?” Jack asked slowly. “What the hell brought this on?”

“ _What even are we, Jack?!_ ” Rhys exclaimed, deceptive tears beginning to build within his eyes. “Just a couple of guys that _fuck_ each other? Just some stupid fling?!”

Jack's eyebrows rose as he hissed, “ _Hey, **hey** , Rhys!_ Quiet, do you want the _entire_ friggin' town to hear you? Jesus, scream a little louder so the dean can hear you while you're at it!”

After a moment or two of silence, Rhys finally looked away from Jack, “If you're just gonna keep avoiding my questions then just— take me home.”

Once more, silence settled between the two before Jack was standing, “You wanna go home? _Fine_. I'll take you home. But just... Chill out, alright?”

Rhys couldn't find anymore words to come to his lips, so he remained quiet as he stood and began walking back to where Jack had parked. There was nothing more Rhys wanted to even say after that outburst. In fact, he was far too upset and frustrated by everything to even think clearly to realize everything he'd just said. He knew the words just slipped back there and Jack's seeming refusal to even give him a proper answer just made him feel worse.

The car ride was spent in total silence. Rhys was continually checking his phone the entire time, as if a miracle text or call would appear. But of course, there was nothing. And Rhys was starting to accept that maybe nothing ever would show up.

As they finally pulled up to Rhys' apartment, Jack put the car into park but left it running as he said, “I've got some errands that I've gotta run.”

Rhys merely nodded as he unbuckled himself and stepped out of the car, closing the door behind him. Almost immediately, the window began rolling down as Jack leaned across the passenger seat.

“Call or text me if anything changes, alright?”

“I will,” Rhys murmured quietly.

Rhys' journey back up into his apartment seemed a blur, his body immediately flopping down onto his bed. Had Jack just said he had some errands to run just so he could escape Rhys? And did Rhys just ruin everything?

With the way this day had been going, Rhys wouldn't be surprised if that was the case. Either way, it didn't take long for Rhys to drift off to sleep.

***

The shrill sound of his phone going off awoke Rhys. His eyes flew open as everything came back to him, realizing that the call could've been about Minx. He answered it without hesitation, “ _Hello?!_ ”

“Always so eager to talk to me, aren't'cha?” Jack chuckled on the other end.

Rhys could feel himself slightly deflating as he realizing that maybe this wasn't about Minx. Nonetheless, he just sighed, “Oh... It's just _you_...”

Jack scoffed at that, mocking Rhys' voice, “ _Oh, it's just you~._ **Pft.** I'm sure you're gonna get to changing your tone _real_ quick, pumpkin, because I've got some good news for you.”

“ _What?_ ” Rhys asked, growing more hopeful as he sat up. “What is it?”

“Why don't you come outside?” The smile in Jack's tone was obvious through his words. “Got a surprise for ya.”

Rhys couldn't scramble out of his bed fast enough, not even bothering to bring his phone with him as it was left behind on his bed. Within moments, he was slipping out of his apartment and going downstairs, the sight of Jack in the darkness of the night before him in the parking lot. Although it had already gotten dark out (how long _had_ he slept?), it was easy to see that Minx was nowhere near him or his car.

Once more, Rhys could feel himself deflating at the realization that maybe Jack had just messed with him. And that didn't make him feel better, not in the slightest.

“Looks like your hair's having a rough day there too, kiddo,” Jack said bemusedly, motioning to the erratic hair atop Rhys' head. Pursing his lips in a pout, Rhys attempted to smooth back his hair, trying to flatten it. He'd just been so eager to get out here, he hadn't realized that he probably looked exactly like he'd just rolled out of bed.

“What'd you even call me out here for?” Rhys began, sounding perturbed as he finished brushing his hair back.

At that, Jack put his arms outward in a shrug with a smug smile on his lips, “Because _I'm_ here! Isn't that surprise enough?”

Was he being serious? If this was anyone other than Jack Lawrence, Rhys wouldn't have taken them seriously. But this _was_ Jack Lawrence. He had a tendency to actually mean things like that, the bastard. So Rhys could only stare at Jack in silence, narrowing his eyes in suspicion and disbelief.

“... _You're joking_ ,” finally came Rhys' monotone answer.

That got quite the hearty laugh out of Jack, his hand waving as his bubbly laughter began to fade, “Okay, okay, that was just the first part of the surprise. Can't say the second part's better, but _hey_ , that's all subjective.”

Finally, Jack turned to open his car door, disappearing within as he reached in. Rhys felt his eyebrows crawl upwards as Jack seemed to grab something and as he finally came back out, Rhys felt practically all his worries disappear. Because there, within Jack's arms, was Minx.

With widened eyes, Rhys quickly approached as Jack allowed Rhys to take the cat from his hold and he hugged her close, his eyes closing in happiness. Minx seemed to cling to him as well, looking as though she'd missed her owner.

“ _Minx!!_ Oh my God, I never thought I'd see you again!” Once more, tears threatened to fill his eyes as he looked back to Jack, “Where was she? Where did you find her?!”

Placing his hands on his hips, Jack smiled complacently at his student, “Remember how I dropped Angel off at a friend's earlier? Well, her little friend lives only a couple blocks from here. Found that ball of fluff in their backyard.”

Rhys wasn't sure it was possible to be grinning any bigger, those damned tears finally slipping past, “Thank you, Jack. _Thank you._ ”

“Hey, c'mon,” Jack scoffed. “No waterworks, cut it out. Told you we'd find her.”

After a small sniffle, Rhys quickly rubbed at his eyes with the sleeve of his shirt, nodding up at Jack once more, “Really, though. Thank you, Jack...”

“Whatever makes ya happy, cupcake,” Jack said with a small chuckle.

Silence passed over Rhys' lips then as he threaded his flesh fingers through Minx's fur absently, his eyes looking away to study a nearby car within the lot, “About earlier, I uh... I'm sorry. I was frustrated and upset and everything just kind of came out at once and I just— that wasn't how I wanted to have that conversation and—“

“ _Don't_ ,” Jack quickly cut Rhys off. “I get it. You want some kinda title on us, huh?”

Rhys just shrugged slightly as he returned his gaze to the older man, “I don't know, I just... I want to know where we stand, Jack. What am I to you? How do I know that once I'm out of your class that we won't just stop seeing each other?”

Jack furrowed his brow as he shifted his weight and crossed his arms, “If I was just gonna ditch you, then I would've already done it by now, y'know. I may fuck around, but—“ he suddenly stopped, rethinking how to word that. “Actually, _wait_ , not like _that_. I don't mean _fuck around_ fuck around, I mean like—“

Rhys couldn't help but chuckle, “Yeah, I know what you mean.”

“As I was saying,” Jack continued. “I know I can be an asshole, but I'm not _that_ kind of asshole. So if having a title or whatever _really_ makes ya happy, then alright, cool.”

This was actually going a lot better than Rhys had originally imagined it would. Jack never seemed like the type to be interested in anything more than just sex, and maybe that was mostly true, but... It seemed like Jack had no problem considering what they had as an actual relationship. Which, if Rhys was honest, was pleasantly surprising.

Rhys could feel his eyebrows raising slowly, his fingers clenching to Minx's fur nervously, “So we're... _You're my_...”

Why couldn't he say it? He didn't know why. He swallowed roughly, the word sticking to his throat and refusing to come out. The silence grew and Rhys couldn't say it right.

Jack just sighed, “ _Boyfriend_ , Rhys. I _think_ that's the word you're failing at saying here.”

Immediately, Rhys could feel a blush fighting to make its way to his cheeks. It was almost successful, but he was sure he fought it off. Mostly, anyway. He was thankful the parking lot was as dim as it was, otherwise he was sure Jack would've seen it. But if he did, he made no mention of it.

“Boyfriend...” Rhys slowly said, trailing off as the word seemed to tingle on his tongue in interesting ways. “Have you ever been with, well...”

“Other guys?” Jack finished his sentence fluidly, seemingly not as affected as Rhys on the subject. “ _Eh_ , there was this one time thing back in high school, but I don't even remember his name honestly. But it's whatever. Point being, _nah_. Not like this.”

The implication of all this was suddenly and slowly beginning to dawn upon Rhys as he realized what this all meant. His eyebrows began to furrow heavily, “So that means... We'll eventually have to tell Angel. And your brother. And I'll have to tell my parents. _Oh my God_ , my parents—“

Suddenly, the feeling of Jack's large palm was pressing against Rhys' lips, shushing him as he did so, “Jesus, you talk too much. Don't worry about all that right now.”

A slow smile began to crawl onto Rhys' lips as they pressed against Jack's palm in a kiss, his eyes coming to a close. Using his left hand, Rhys grasped at Jack's wrist, pulling Jack's hand away from his mouth to trail kisses along his palm, leading up to his index finger. Rhys slowly opened his eyes once more before he was taking Jack's finger into his mouth, sucking on it gently.

“ _Dammit, kiddo,_ ” Jack groaned through clenched teeth, “it's late, we've got class tomorrow. Don't do this to me.”

Rhys only smiled wider as he took Jack's finger deeper into his mouth, running his tongue over his flesh teasingly. Jack seemed as though he was going to just let Rhys continue, but with a deep breath, he slid his finger out from Rhys' mouth, much to Rhys' own disappointment.

“ _Tomorrow_ , after class,” Jack urged, albeit reluctantly. “Okay?”

Sighing, Rhys knew that Jack was right. It did seem pretty late and they did have class tomorrow. After a small nod and readjusting Minx within his arms (who actually seemed quite content right where she was), Rhys agreed, “Okay. I gotta get her inside and feed her anyway. See you tomorrow?”

“Sure thing,” Jack nodded with a grin, slipping back into his car and starting it up once more.

As Rhys stepped back to allow Jack to pull out, he felt a small ache as Jack was leaving the parking lot. But it would be okay, the wait would be worth it. Besides, he had Minx back, he could officially consider Jack his boyfriend — _his boyfriend_ — and this day had ended on a much better note than when it started.

It seemed everything was finally okay. _Properly_ okay. And Rhys was determined that it was going to stay that way.

 


	19. Caught

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An old "friend" of Jack's drops by for a visit at the wrong time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now we're getting into the thick of the story! I'd say we're coming up to the home stretch of this fic. And boy is it gonna be a doozy. Thank you all, as always, for the support! All your comments and kudos means the world to me!

Rhys couldn't properly remember the last time he'd gotten out of bed so fast in the morning. He was far too eager to see Jack, to get through the entirety of the class, just so he could spend some time with the older man. Perhaps he was a _little_ overeager, but if it meant getting to have a smile on his face so early in the morning, then he would wear that overeager title proudly.

But maybe he got up and arrived at the lecture hall a little _too_ early. There was absolutely no one within and even Jack wasn't present. Biting at his lower lip a bit nervously, Rhys brought his phone out to check the time, realizing he was a full twenty minutes early. Okay, _way_ too overeager, but he was here and it wouldn't do for him to just leave and come back anyway.

So with a sigh of acceptance, Rhys took himself over to the nearest seat and settled within it, bringing out his books and notebook to keep himself busy with some notes. Although he was only about twenty minutes early, time seemed to drag and drag before any of his classmates started showing up. And yet still, no Jack. Rhys could feel himself beginning to squirm in his seat in worry that Jack wouldn't show up. That maybe Jack was somehow never going to show up. What would Rhys do then?

Snapping himself out of his reverie, he scowled at himself as he continued to bury his attention into his notes. He was being stupid and he mentally kicked himself for it over and over.

Finally, just minutes before class began, Jack was strolling into the lecture hall, spouting something or other about how their freedom was over and it was back to the grind of school. Rhys didn't pay much attention to what he was saying, he was far too busy staring at his teacher and imagining things to come as he began the lesson.

Time was dragging, the _entire class_ was dragging. The atmosphere felt sluggish, possibly due to the fact that no one really wanted to be back here after such a long break. Even Jack didn't seem as full of energy through his lecture, although he did shoot a knowing and playful grin Rhys' way every so often, which Rhys did appreciate maybe far too much.

But eventually, class had come to an end and Rhys couldn't be more relieved. In an attempt to look _not_ so incredibly desperate to be alone with Jack, Rhys decided to put as much attention as he could into the homework Jack had already given them for the week. Slowly but surely, more of the students were leaving, and while Rhys certainly _looked_ like he was working, he could barely even focus on the paper in front of him.

His pencil stilled as he bit onto his bottom lip, his mismatched eyes flickering to the side to see just a couple of his classmates hanging around and speaking to one another. He scowled slightly in their direction as he mentally urged them to leave, huffing a sigh and forcing his eyes back to his work. Just keep working, pass the time, don't think about anything else. Which was a hard enough task in its own right, let alone trying to focus on-- _God_ , what was this chapter even about now?

The sudden appearance of very familiar and large hands were leaning their weight onto the edge of the wooden desk, causing Rhys' eyes to widen and flicker upward to see Jack just inches from his face. From what Rhys could tell, they were finally alone within the room, something that seemed like a goal he'd been silently reaching for the entirety of the morning and it was now here.

“Hey there, cupcake,” his teacher intoned playfully, eyebrow cocked and small smile on his lips. “Already working on that homework? So studious of you.”

The corner of Rhys' lips threatened a smirk as he quirked his eyebrows up at the older man, “The quicker I finish, the more.. _free time_ I'll have.”

Just a sliver of silence passed between the two before Jack was laughing quite heartily, shaking his head as he took a deep breath, “Were you _trying_ to make that into some sort of pickup line? Because I don't think it worked very well. Actually, no, no wait... That was pretty horrible.”

“ _What_ ,” Rhys scoffed, “you think _you_ can do better, **_Mr. Lawrence?_** ”

“As a matter of fact...” Jack let the pause linger on his upturned lips as he leaned closer to Rhys. “Yeah. _Oh yeah_ , I can do way better.”

With Jack's movements, Rhys could feel his body moving on its own, pressing him mere inches closer to Jack, “Alright, I'll humor you. I don't believe you can but I'm listening.”

Not a moment passed before Rhys felt the brush of Jack's fingers on his chin, tilting his head up as he murmured lowly, “If you think my _tests_ are hard, just you wait until you see my _dick_.”

Rhys couldn't stop the laugh that came from his lungs even if he wanted to, “That _definitely_ wasn't better than mine.”

“Don't you know you need to raise your hand before you talk?” Jack tutted, leaning closer still. “I'm gonna have to give you detention for that one.”

Rhys didn't get a chance to respond before Jack's lips were pressing onto his own, pulling Rhys' lower lip into his mouth and sucking playfully. Although Rhys didn't mind not getting a chance to respond; he'd much rather be kissing Jack than talking to him at this point, the feeling of Jack's tongue sliding over his own way more preferable than their banter.

Greedily, Rhys reached forward with his mechanical hand, digging his metal fingers into the fabric of Jack's button-up shirt and pulling him even closer. It seemed that Jack hadn't expected Rhys to be responding so hungrily, but he obliged, pressing his lips even more firmly than before against his student's and growling deeply within his throat.

Suddenly, the sound of several sharp raps of knocking were filling the air, causing Jack and Rhys to pull away from one another almost immediately. Jack was turning swiftly behind him to face the source of the sound and all Rhys could do was stare with wide and surprised eyes as there, at the door of the lecture room, stood a man he didn't recognize in the least bit.

He was tall, quite thin and quite old as well, hair at each side of his head greying to the point that it was near fully white. He wore a sharp dark suit with yellow highlights throughout, his pair of thin framed glasses doing practically nothing to obstruct his piercingly dark eyes. All in all, he looked like an intimidating and cold man, his facial features looking as detached as they did disinterested. Rhys felt like he grew smaller in his seat just meeting his gaze.

“Harold Tassiter!” Jack immediately spoke up, his tone smoothly playful. Rhys jumped slightly at Jack's sudden voice, his eyes flickering up to see Jack's expression was matching his voice quite flawlessly. “Holy _shit_ , it's been like, what, _six years_ since I saw your old face? The hell you doin' here?”

A swallow went down Rhys' throat roughly as he chanced a look back up at the other man, who was apparently named Harold. How Jack was managing to act as though nothing had just happened was _baffling_ to Rhys, but he was thankful for it because he felt absolutely frozen right where he sat.

“I believe we already discussed why I'm here,” Harold said coolly as he folded his hands behind his back. “On the phone. This morning?”

A surprisingly natural laugh seeped through Jack's lips as he waved a hand dismissively his way, “Yeah, yeah, just testin' ya, I know Alzheimer's can start to set in around your age.”

For just a moment, the older man shifted his stoic glance over to Rhys, causing Rhys to wince internally. Hell, he could feel himself even growing colder from the gaze yet it lasted barely two seconds.

“Very _funny_ , Jack,” Harold responded in quite the monotone words. “Did I happen to interrupt you and... Your student?”

Acting as though he didn't even realize until now, Jack raised his eyebrows innocently, “Oh, _nah_ , kiddo just had some questions about this chapter for his weekly report. All about relay switches and serial comms this week. Tough stuff for this guy.”

“I see,” Harold noted as he brought thin fingers up to adjust his glasses on the bridge of his nose.

Pausing a moment, Jack cleared his throat somewhat as he turned back to Rhys, “Well, uh, you're gonna have to hold off on the questions until Wednesday, Rhys. So go on, get outta here, me and old Tassiter here's got some stuff to catch up on.”

Rhys couldn't even _begin_ to express how grateful he was for the excuse to leave that room. All the previous playfulness and desire he held in him to be with Jack had been sapped from him the moment this Harold Tassiter decided to come into the picture. It was amazing how well Jack seemed to be handling the situation, acting as though nothing had happened; Rhys appreciated it, all the more because he was sure he couldn't have covered without making it obvious.

Gathering his stuff as calmly as he could, Rhys was beginning to internally freak out as he realized there was _no way_ this man didn't see what they were just doing. And without properly knowing who this guy was, it was hard to tell just how much trouble they could be in at this moment.

Nonetheless, Rhys didn't linger as he stood from his seat, making a swift movement towards the door. As Tassiter stood aside, his eyes continued to watch as Rhys swept by him and left the classroom. Dryness began to pervade Rhys' mouth as he stopped outside the lecture hall, the door closing just as he stopped to look back to it.

This was bad. This was so, **_so_** very bad and Rhys knew it. He knew that Jack knew it. This was beyond bad. Again, Rhys didn't know who the hell that man even was and just how much of a threat he would pose. It was no doubt that he saw everything. Well, enough to the point there would be no talking out of it.

 _'Slow down, think about it carefully,'_ Rhys told himself as he began walking once more.

Going back, Rhys noted that Jack said it'd been _six years_ since he'd seen this man. That was _just_ a year longer than he'd been teaching, if what Jack told him was accurate. The idea that this man was maybe a coworker from Hyperion began to nudge itself into the list of possibilities and Rhys wasn't sure whether that was better... _Or worse._

Rhys wanted nothing more in that moment than to just talk to Jack about this, to get some sort of idea or direction of what to do. But with that man still in there, he knew that wasn't possible. Not right now. And that was a fact that would be clawing at his mind in agonizing anxiety for the next however long it took for his visit to be through.

All that Rhys could do now was go home, hope and _pray_ that Jack would call him later to get everything settled out. That was if things could even _get_ settled at this point.

***

The hours that followed seemed to drag. Several times, Rhys contemplated calling up Vaughn to tell him about what happened, even though that might end in some _'told you so'_ conversation. Hell, he even contemplated calling Yvette or Sasha. But he had to resist it, knowing that it could only make the situation that much worse. No, not could, _would_. It would _definitely_ make things worse. The less people that knew what was going on at this point, the better.

He just felt so tightly wound up and nervous beyond belief. It even left him feeling sick to his stomach, knots of nausea playing a game of merry-go-round in his lower torso. He tried to force himself to work on his homework, but that just wasn't happening, he couldn't focus long enough to make any progress. So there he'd been sat on his bed for the past hour, long having given up on his homework. Minx was curled up in his crossed legs, his flesh hand absently carding through her fur to keep himself grounded.

The moment his phone rang, he jumped and yelped in surprise, scaring Minx even. She deemed his lap no longer a comfortable space, pulling herself onto all fours once more before jumping down from the bed as Rhys reached over to grab his phone. He was quick to answer it the moment he saw it was Jack.

“ _Jack?_ ” Rhys began hurried, his tone doing nothing to hide the anxiety he was feeling. “Jack, who the _hell_ was that?”

“Calm down, kiddo,” Jack urged quietly. “We need to talk.”

Rhys scoffed, “Yeah, _no shit!_ Tell me what's going on, who was that really?”

A small sigh came from Jack's lips before he was responding, “That old sack of shit used to be my boss back at Hyperion. Well, my _first_ boss, anyway. He never liked me, _especially_ not after I was promoted head of his department.”

So Rhys' suspicions were right, Tassiter _did_ used to work with Jack. And hearing those details just made Rhys all the more nervous.

“Then what was he doing here?” Rhys asked curiously.

“I didn't think he'd come by so soon...” Jack murmured, maybe more to himself than to Rhys. “He wanted to talk to me about some sort of job or whatever. It's not important.”

Rhys swallowed thickly, speaking his next words slowly and cautiously, “He saw us... Didn't he?”

Several moments of silence passed over the line, leaving Rhys with a growing knot of anticipation in his stomach. The longer the silence went on, the more Rhys' mind was running with the worst of possibilities, going straight to the answer that he feared. He was about to speak once more when Jack finally found his voice again.

“I don't know. No.”

Furrowing his brows in confusion, Rhys swung his legs over the side of his bed, sitting up more properly as he gripped the edge of the mattress with his right hand, “Either you know or you don't, _which is it?_ ”

“Look,” Jack responded suddenly, “the reason I called you was to tell you I won't be able to come by today. Some things came up last minute.”

That certainly did nothing to make him feel better over the whole situation. Rhys could feel himself deflate slightly as he sighed, “What things? Does it have to do with Tassiter?”

“No, don't worry about it.”

 _Don't worry about it?_ **_Really?_** Rhys knew that Jack never had the most tactful approach to situations where Rhys needed some kind of reassurance, but this was below what Rhys had expected from him.

“What _aren't_ you telling me, Jack?” Rhys demanded, growing frustrated even.

“Chill, Rhys, okay?” the older man growled tiredly. “I need to go. I'll see you Wednesday.”

Before Rhys even had a chance to respond, the line went quiet, leaving him feeling even more empty than before. Pulling his phone away from his ear, he stared at the screen, watching as the call time numbers blinked on and off. Their call had barely lasted more than a minute. Amazing how just a single minute could make Rhys feel all the worse about everything.

Almost immediately, Rhys felt like trying to call him back, demanding some kind of explanation or at least some kind of reassurance. It was better than how flippant Jack had just been. There was something that Jack wasn't telling him, he could hear it just within his voice and words.

While Jack could be a pretty good liar – his performance in front of Tassiter proved that much – there was just something he wasn't telling Rhys. Or something that he didn't _want_ to tell him.

Rhys tossed his phone aside and fell back onto the bed frustratedly, glaring up at the ceiling. The feeling of pure dread was clawing at his chest, making his heart feel heavy with each solemn beat. Minutes passed and yet his mind still circled around their conversation, trying to find answers he just didn't have.

With a scowl, Rhys sat back up suddenly, grabbing his phone once more and bringing up a text to Jack.

_'You can't call to talk and not talk. Something's going on I'm not stupid.'_

Several moments passed before his phone was buzzing, alight with the response from his teacher.

_'I know you're not stupid, you've got one of the highest grades in my class. But like I said don't worry about it.'_

“God, that stubborn– **_asshole!_** ” Rhys growled to himself as he tossed his phone back onto the bed.

There would be no winning this one. At least not over a phone call or through a text. He'd just have to wait until Wednesday when he could confront him, face to face. Until then, Rhys decided to get himself something to eat. He needed a distraction.

 


	20. His scar

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Rhys realizes Jack isn't going to be giving him any information, Rhys takes it upon himself to do some digging and discovers some buried secrets.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally an update, amirite? You're all super awesome for sticking around and being patient! Thanks, as always, for all the kudos and comments, you guys make my day!

There would be nothing in this entire world that could stop Rhys from showing up early that Wednesday morning. Although some time had passed, Rhys could still feel the frustration teeming in his mind any time his thoughts would linger too long on Jack's behavior. This wasn't _just_ about Tassiter anymore, this was about how Jack was being so avoidant, treating him like he couldn't handle whatever it was that Jack was so preoccupied about. And Rhys _didn't_ like it.

Taking a deep breath, Rhys reached forward with his mechanical hand, grasping the handle of the door to the lecture hall. He pressed his lips together tightly before pushing the handle down and stepping in quietly. Jack was already here, it seemed, his body hunched over his desk and a large array of papers scattered before him. His hair looked more disheveled than usual and his glasses were resting atop his head; all in all, he looked tired and intensely focused on the paper he held within his hand.

It seemed that he hadn't quite noticed Rhys yet. Whatever he was looking at must've been _really_ important to keep his attention held so intently. Either that or he was _much_ more tired than he looked. Furrowing his brows, Rhys stepped closer, finally gaining Jack's attention as his gaze snapped to the side suddenly.

After a small sigh, Jack turned back to his desk, “ _Shit_ , kiddo, you really snuck up on me there.”

“Jack, you look like hell,” Rhys murmured, stopping a short distance away from where Jack sat.

The smallest huff of a laugh left Jack's lips as he put the paper back onto the desk, “Yeah, well, I _feel_ like hell.”

“So,” Rhys began slowly, raising an eyebrow as he did so, “you gonna tell me what's going on, or...?”

“Or _what?_ ” Jack asked immediately with a shrug to follow. “Nothing's going on, Rhys.”

“You could _at least_ be decent and not lie to me, y'know. Don't really think I deserve that.”

Almost as if Rhys hadn't said anything, Jack waved him away dismissively, his eyes remaining on the desk before him, “There's nothing _to_ tell. What do you want to hear?”

Scowling, Rhys took a step closer, “I think there is something to tell because you keep dodging my question here. You're being pretty obvious about it too, so **_stop_ ** bullshitting me.”

A mere moment passed before Jack was sighing heavily and rubbing at his eyes in a tired motion. The next second, he was turning in his chair to more properly face Rhys, looking up at him, “ _Dammit_ , you just won't let up, will you?”

Rhys crossed his arms tightly across his chest, shaking his head silently as he stared down the older man. He wasn't going to just accept Jack's shit anymore. He was going to get at least _some_ kind of answer, whether Jack liked it or not.

The older man's eyes remained on his student for just a moment more before Jack was crossing his own arms and shaking his head, “Okay, alright, fine. Remember how I said Tassiter wanted me to do some job or whatever? Yeah, well, I accepted it. _That's_ what's going on. That's what all this shit is on my desk right now. And that's what I've been so busy with.”

While Jack's answer seemed to hold much more truth to it, something about it just didn't add up in Rhys' mind. There was something... _Off_ about it all but he just couldn't put his finger on it. Rhys pursed his lips for a long silence before he was speaking once more, “I thought you weren't working for Hyperion anymore?”

Jack gave a small shrug, “I'm not, it's just a one time thing. But it's gonna take some time... And we won't be able to do much until it's done.”

Slowly, Rhys exhaled and he could feel his shoulders falling slightly with it as he muttered, “Oh... How long?”

“Probably the rest of the semester. If not, more. I dunno, kiddo.”

Why did Rhys ask that question when he was afraid of that kind of answer? It was exactly what he wasn't hoping for. Not even a week into considering this an official relationship and the only time they could spend together was during _class_. How shitty was that?

“Maybe I could help,” Rhys offered, a hopeful hint in his tone.

Jack's eyes widened slightly at the sudden offer, his head shaking, “No, _no_ , definitely not. It's not that I don't trust you, but it's just... _God_ , it's complicated, alright?”

Rhys pressed his lips together tightly, watching Jack for another second before he was looking away, words stuck in his throat. What could he even say now? He felt like he got _some_ answers, but he wasn't entirely sure they were the answers that he wanted. In fact, he was definitely sure he felt even more lost than before, despite Jack's attempts at being reassuring.

“Hey, Rhysie,” Jack began once more, training Rhys' eyes back on him. “I told you, don't worry about it, alright? Let me worry about it.”

The sudden sound of a few students beginning to trickle into the classroom caught Rhys' attention, causing him to look back slightly before he was turning to Jack once more. His eyes studied his teacher, trying to find whatever else answers he could, but he knew there were none.

“Whatever you say, Jack,” Rhys settled quietly before he was turning and making his way over toward his seat.

The rest of the class, Rhys had barely paid attention, hardly even looking up from his desk even as Jack lectured. This entire situation just left Rhys with a bad taste in his mouth, one that he felt he'd never be able to wash out. He just didn't know what to even do. And soon enough, Rhys was starting to realize that maybe there wasn't much he _could_ do.

***

Since that Wednesday, two weeks had passed and nothing had changed. The only time Rhys ever got to see Jack was during class and even _that_ was minimal. He'd always try to speak with Jack before and after class, but it was hardly anything of substance. It left Rhys wanting more.

Their title of _'boyfriends'_ didn't even really seem to apply anymore, leaving Rhys questioning whether they were still together or not. It just continued to compound his thought that something more was going on. Because something just wasn't right.

It all started right as this Tassiter showed up. More and more, Rhys was putting pieces together that whatever it was that was going on, it had to do with this man. Rhys still didn't even know for sure whether Tassiter saw them that day or not. Jack didn't offer much of anything in the way of information or reassurance in that department, other than some _'don't worry about it'_ s and _'if he saw us we'd know by now'_ s. And even as Rhys asked for more information on Tassiter, Jack would just tell him the same things.

Tassiter was his boss back in his Hyperion days and nothing more. But that _couldn't_ have been everything and Rhys knew it. So he decided that Thursday night to do some digging on this Harold Tassiter.

Starting up his laptop, Rhys rolled his shoulders and brought up his browser, typing in Tassiter's name along with Hyperion into Google. Several upon several results showed up, lots of articles, both dated and new, along with Hyperion's official site. The newest article, however, is what caught Rhys' attention more than the rest.

_'Harold Tassiter to bring new technology to the forefront of Hyperion'._

Rhys opened the article as his eyebrows knit together, his mismatched eyes skimming over the large amount of information on the Forbes article.

“Tassiter confirms new technological breakthrough in the works, huh...?” Rhys murmured to himself, wondering if this had anything to do with what Jack was working on. “Chance for rise in stock value?”

As Rhys came to the end of the article, he shook his head slightly, going back to read some older articles. Sifting through them, a lot were just about some accomplishments here and there with Hyperion and how he'd furthered their advancements in the past fifteen years.

What _really_ caught his eye now were a few select articles that mentioned Jack. Rhys wasn't sure he'd ever clicked a link faster in his life, bringing up a particular article named: _'Jack Lawrence and his demonstration failure'._

_'Jack Lawrence, soon-to-be head of Hyperion's robotics department, announced a new robotic ECHOcomm prototype that would automatically download and encode new transcripts of data. Alongside his partner Nakayama, the two promised for a spectacular demonstration at this year's Hyperion Demo Convention. Mr. Lawrence claimed this particular robot would revolutionize the way Hyperion worked, however on the day of the demonstration, a malfunction in this prototype caused an overload and a subsequent explosion to occur._

_'Mr. Lawrence was rushed to the hospital with severe burns on his face. His condition is currently unknown. There were no other injuries.'_

Swallowing roughly, Rhys stopped reading. That had to be what happened to give Jack his scar. It was such a specific scar though, could burns _really_ do that? He supposed it depended on just how the explosion happened and what the prototype was like. Nonetheless, it was interesting to have finally learned what gave him such a scar. Although he _had_ to admit, it felt a little dirty learning this before Jack had a chance to tell him.

Huffing a sigh, Rhys kept digging further, finding an article that followed shortly after the previous one. It was an interview with Tassiter about Jack's failed demonstration.

 _'What happened to Jack was unfortunate,'_ the article quoted Tassiter. _'but it goes to show that Jack isn't competent enough to create something so advanced. There is a time and place for everything, and Hyperion just isn't ready for his work.'_

Finally, Rhys leaned back from his computer and tried to digest everything he'd just read. Pressing his lips tightly together, he looked off to the side, trying to figure out if any of this had to connect with what was happening now. From what he read, Tassiter didn't seem like he cared much for Jack or his work.

In fact, any time Tassiter spoke of Jack in the few articles he'd found over the demonstration, it seemed like he was either _insulting_ Jack or calling his work _below adequate_. So why would Tassiter contact Jack now after all these years _just_ to get him to work on something?

There were suspicions floating about in his thoughts, but they were all baseless as far as Rhys could tell. There was no way to officially confirm anything. For a few moments, Rhys contemplated calling up Jack to confront him about everything he'd found. But after a quick look to the clock, he realized it was already quite late.

He'd just wait until tomorrow morning. Something wasn't right about this situation. And he was going to get to the bottom of it.

 


	21. What a stupid kid

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally, Jack comes clean and so does Rhys.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOWZERS IT'S BEEN A LONG TIME!
> 
> I wanna apologize for that, I've had to deal with family for nearly 2 weeks and then, THEN, my body had the audacity to get SICK AS FUCK for over a week. I'm still just barely recovering from it. But yo hey, new chapter is finally here! Next chapter is finally gonna have some nice and good sin. Lots of plot in this chapter though.
> 
> Thanks so much for your patience and continued support! This fic is in the top 10 highest kudos of Rhack fics ahhhh!!!

Rhys needed today to go right. In at least some capacity, he needed for everything to turn out better than it had in these past two weeks. Not only did he feel like there was still something Jack wasn't telling him, but he missed Jack. _Properly_ missed him. He missed spending time with him, he missed just being around him in more than just a class setting, he missed talking to him, **_really_** talking to him. Would he ever actually admit that _out loud?_ No, probably not. But that didn't stop him from _feeling_ it.

To say that he was disappointed Jack wasn't there when he showed up early to class would be an understatement. He'd hoped to have gotten this conversation over with early in the day. But maybe it was for the best. If things _didn't_ go well during this conversation, then it would've been worse to have to sit through class with it all stewing on his mind like a bad rash.

Just minutes before class started, there came Jack, looking surprisingly well rested. Nearly every time he'd seen the older man in class, he looked as though he'd been through a restless hell. This job that he'd accepted with Tassiter must've been putting a much bigger strain on him than he even realized. So he had to wonder... Did this maybe mean he was finished?

Rhys could only hope that was the case.

“Alright, ya _nerds_ ,” Jack began as he set his briefcase into the chair behind his desk, shoving his hands into the pockets of his slacks. “Seeing as we're gettin' puh- _retty_ close to the end of the semester, and getting closer to leaving my class – I know, _I know_ , it's _heartbreaking_ – I think it's about time that I tell you all my pick for this summer's Servo contest.”

Almost immediately, Rhys could feel his eyebrows raise up high onto his forehead, Jack's words honestly something he didn't expect for today. In all honesty, Rhys had completely forgotten about that contest, Jack just brought it up so rarely. Hell, he couldn't even remember the last time it _was_ brought up in class or out of class. Especially with everything that had been on Rhys' mind, it just wasn't a concern.

Now Rhys could feel tight knots of anticipation and nervousness tugging at his stomach. _Surely_ Jack was going to say it was him, right? Jack had practically unofficially told him that he was going to be his pick. So why did Rhys feel so nervous?

Pausing, Jack moved over to his desk, settling himself down onto the edge of it, one hand against the wood while the other emphasized his words, “Now I chose this person solely based on how well they're able to convey ideas and all that jazz on paper. I would say somethin' like.. _oh I'd choose all of you if I could!_ But that'd be a lie. Because I wouldn't. Some of ya suck.”

A small wave of careful laughter came from several students, Jack joining in on the laughter as well as he waved his hand dismissively, “Nah, nah, I'm joking, you're all pretty great. But _one_ of you in particular **really** stood out. Sadly, though... Said person isn't here today.”

The feeling of Rhys' heart dropping could almost be heard within his ears. Did he actually... catch that right? Did Jack _really_ just say that the person he chose... **_Wasn't_** here? _Rhys wasn't his choice?_ After all the talk he'd done about choosing him, after all the pampering with words like _'star student'_ and _'special pick'_ , he wouldn't even keep that promise?

Then again, was this one on Rhys for expecting to be chosen? Jack never promised to absolutely pick him when it came down to it. He just thought... Maybe it didn't matter what he thought.

A moment of confused silence passed over the class as most of the students besides Rhys began looking about, trying to decipher just who their teacher was talking about. Jack decided to just say it, “As you guys might've noticed, Janey's not here. She's out on account of some family emergency, but I've already let her know she's my pick. Just wanted to get that out there to you guys, dash your hopes and dreams and all that.”

Judging by the smirk on Jack's lips, it was easy to tell he was mostly joking about that last bit. But Rhys didn't find it funny. Not in the least bit. He felt crushed, honestly. And the fact that Jack just wasn't even turning a single glance his way either just made it feel all the worse.

Rhys narrowed his eyes at his _'boyfriend'_ , silently urging him to look his way. He didn't dare let his eyes wander from the older man, screaming at him mentally over and over to just look at him. Didn't he _at least_ deserve to be looked at after something like that? Surely Jack had to know how that would make Rhys feel.

Or maybe he didn't. Jack was flighty about emotions, he was flighty about tact. It shouldn't surprise Rhys in the slightest. And whether it did or not wasn't the important thing here. What was important was how much it just _hurt_.

***

If Jack turned his gaze Rhys' way at all throughout the class, Rhys didn't even notice it. He'd kept his attention mostly down at his desk after giving up on the Death Glare™, his thoughts far too preoccupied with what a let down this day had turned out to be thus far. It had almost made him forget about everything he'd found out the night prior, all the information on Tassiter and Jack and Hyperion.

As class finally ended, it just seemed that now Rhys had twice the amount of things to confront Jack about. He'd wished that, at the _very_ least, Jack would've told him about it beforehand. But then again, maybe he just didn't want to face Rhys and explain why he'd lead him on as he did.

Scowling and huffing a tight breath of air, Rhys just told himself that _whatever_ Jack had to say about it, it didn't matter. It was just a stupid contest anyway and there was no reason to get too upset about it. Didn't mean he wasn't going to ask about it though. Jack could bet his ass he was going to ask about it. But he couldn't let it deter him.

Finally, as they were left alone within the lecture hall, Rhys grabbed his bag, sliding it onto his shoulder and approaching Jack as he was wiping the whiteboard clean.

“So, _Janey's_ your pick, huh?”

As Rhys' words left his mouth, sounding a bit more accusatory than he'd meant, Jack's movements stilled, a small sigh escaping his mouth. He put the eraser down and turned, finally facing the younger man and pursing his lips for just a second.

“ _Look_ , Rhys,” he began slowly, almost as if he couldn't find the right words. “I've already made my choice and I never promised you anything, alright?”

“Then thanks for leading me on,” Rhys jabbed back, crossing his arms over his chest as he did so.

A small scowl set onto Jack's face as he was shrugging quite heavily, “I didn't _lead you on_ , what the hell! It's just a contest, alright? Will it make you feel any better if I said you're still one of the top students in my class? _Huh?_ ”

Rhys could feel his brows knit together, “Then why--”

“I said _one of_ the top students,” Jack interrupted Rhys suddenly and sharply, seeming to grow more and more frustrated as the conversation dragged on. “What's done's _done_. Did you need anything else?”

Swallowing roughly, Rhys had to pretend Jack's seemingly catty attitude wasn't hurtful. Jack was being an ass. What _else_ was new? It was obvious this conversation was going nowhere fast, so Rhys decided to just drop it for now.

“Actually, _yeah_ ,” Rhys responded defiantly, his voice remaining surprisingly firm. “I know you're still not telling me something, Jack. And since I _also_ know you're just gonna be stubborn about it, I did some... Research. On my own.”

This seemed to catch Jack a bit off guard, his once tightly knit brows raising as he tried to decipher Rhys' words within his mind. Turning his head slightly, he eyed his student with suspicion clear in his gaze and tone, “The hell do you mean by _research?_ ”

It was actually somewhat satisfying to have the upper hand in this conversation now. It seemed Jack was always one step ahead of Rhys in nearly everything, but this time? This time was _definitely_ different. And so Rhys began to explain everything. All the articles he found on Tassiter, how he announced a new prototype in the works, how even through the articles their mutual animosity shone clear as day, and finally ending with perhaps the most touchy subject, Jack's scar.

Rhys almost decided to omit the part about Jack's scar, but he was just frustrated enough with this entire situation, he let it out anyway. And as silence finally settled back over the lecture hall, Rhys started to realize that maybe, just maybe, it _wasn't_ such a good idea to have told Jack he found out about that.

Jack's face had morphed into something damn near unreadable to Rhys, but it was clear that he wasn't pleased in the smallest bit. It took only a second more before Jack's features were turning much more readable; _they were angry._

“What exactly made you think that all that was even **_remotely_** okay to dig into, Rhys?!” Jack all but shouted, his anger causing Rhys to flinch slightly.

But Rhys wouldn't back down, not now. It was too late for that. So Rhys just hardened his features as he leaned closer, “It was _public stuff!_ Stuff on **Google** , Jack!”

“ ** _Fuck_** Google!” he growled in response, shaking his head as he did so. “But okay, fine. _Fine!_ You wanna play this game? Fine. You know about this ugly ass scar, so how about you tell me about your arm, huh? _Even things up a little._ ”

Turning his head, Rhys side eyed the older man, his arms tightening over his chest, “I'll tell you about my arm if you tell me what's _really_ going on. You wouldn't do anything for Tassiter unless you had a _really_ good reason. And I mean a really, **_really_** good reason. So for once, just stop _bullshitting_ me!”

“Jesus, alright!” Jack exclaimed. “You _really_ wanna know that badly, Rhys? I'm being fucking **blackmailed** by him!”

Suddenly, Rhys felt his eyebrows pull together, his arms falling slightly as he watched Jack in silence for several moments. Had that possibility come to Rhys' mind before? Maybe only vaguely. But it just seemed like something that Jack would've at _least_ had the decency to tell him about.

“...What?” Rhys finally found his voice as he realized Jack was going to just remain quiet.

A rough and mirthless huff of a laugh left Jack's lungs, “Yeah, that's right. He saw us. He wants me to build that goddamn prototype that blew up in my face again except he's gonna take all the credit once it's finished. If I didn't accept, he would've told the dean, Hyperion, fuckin' _everyone_ about us.” Jack paused, giving a small sigh, resigned and tired. “Ruin my job and ruin your schooling.”

“But it's _his_ word against _ours_ ,” Rhys immediately offered, shaking his head slightly.

Jack scoffed angrily, “You don't think I thought of that already? It doesn't matter, they'll be on our asses once they hear a claim like that. We'll be constantly monitored.”

Suddenly, everything started to make sense. These past two weeks of avoidance, deliberate aloofness, it just made everything so much clearer. Not only that, but Jack's choice. Maybe he was put into the position of choosing someone other than Rhys for the contest to keep Tassiter off of them even after the semester was over. At least, that's what Rhys had to _hope_ for...

“You couldn't have told me sooner?” Rhys asked curiously, his tone harboring perhaps a hint of sadness.

“I didn't say anything because I wanted to solve this on my own,” Jack admitted, the words leaving his mouth almost as though they were honey stuck in his throat. Like they were almost too hard to admit.

What could Rhys say now? He didn't know how to even feel. Part of him was mad at Jack for keeping something like this from him without so much as a hint, flat out lying to him even for what was going on. Yet on the other side, this had something of a sacrificing quality to it, something that Rhys had never expected of Jack. So Rhys was conflicted. It amounted to a several moment long silence that grew increasingly uncomfortable.

Jack shifted on his feet, letting out a short growling huff before he was looking off to the side, avoiding Rhys' gaze, “ _Shit_ , I'm tying to protect you, alright? Just-– let me do that, okay pumpkin? And get him off our backs.”

That was something Rhys had _never_ expected to hear from Jack. Hell, this was more than what Rhys had expected in general, given the past two weeks of pure nothingness. It was practically the longest conversation he'd had with his teacher since then. And now it was even harder to be upset with him for the past two weeks. Sure, he was still upset he didn't say anything, but he could _understand_ , at the very least.

“Believe it or not, I'm really not a fan of you just... Going quiet,” Jack admitted slowly and disjointedly, his eyes flickering back over to Rhys finally. “So if you could just say _something_ , that'd be great.”

Taking a slow breath, Rhys looked down at his mechanical arm, unhooking it from his other and bringing it away from his chest. He had a promise to keep now, didn't he? Reaching over with his flesh hand, he delved his fingers into the fabric of his sleeve, pulling it back to reveal more of the black and yellow metal.

“When I was a freshman in high school,” Rhys began quietly, bringing his mech hand up and flexing the metal fingers as he went on, “we had a school trip out to Colorado. It was a ski resort thing. I was _really_ horrible at snowboarding, but I wanted to get better, I just wanted to impress everyone.”

Now Rhys moved his palm downwards, the minute sounds of mechanical whirs filling the momentary silence before he continued, “So I stayed outside all day practicing. I even practiced past dark when everyone went back to the lodge.” For a moment, a small smile was trying to make its way on his lips as he reminisced at his younger self, but it quickly fell.

“It was too dark, but I didn't care,” Rhys went on as he looked off to the side. “I was gonna get better before morning. But I couldn't see the ledge until it was too late. I fell down a sharp drop, knocking a huge rock off with me as I fell. My arm got crushed under it and I went unconscious.”

Eventually, Rhys brought his right arm back to his side as he shook his head in small motions, “I don't know how long I was out... But I just remembered seeing Vaughn next. _'Stay with me, Rhys. Don't go, buddy. I've got you.'_ Those words were all I remembered until I woke up in a hospital bed with my whole right arm just... _Gone_. The rock crushed all the bones in my arm and hypothermia set in, so there was no saving my arm. I got to keep my life, but lost my arm because I was just an idiot trying to impress everyone.”

That entire story was one that Rhys remembered damn near every detail about. All the pain, all the confusion, and all the regret. It happened roughly ten years ago, but it was still fresh in his mind like it happened just yesterday. And that was the first time he'd told that story since.

Somehow it didn't feel as... Scary to say it. For the longest time, Rhys had been hesitant to tell Jack about it simply because he didn't want Jack to think less of him for it by any means. But now that it was out there, maybe he even felt a little relieved. Jack seemed to still be absorbing Rhys' words, his lips pursed in a contemplative silence that stretched for several long moments.

“Well,” Rhys finally began, the silence beginning to chafe the longer it went on. “I know about yours... So now you know about mine. Guess we're even, huh?”

A slow smile began to crawl its way onto Jack's lips, “God, you're such a stupid kid.”

Without warning, Jack suddenly leaned forward, closing the distance between the two and locking his lips onto the younger's. Rhys was considerably surprised, but he didn't waste a second to welcome the motion, his body crying out in a warm relief as he realized just how damn much he missed this. Just how much he missed being close to Jack, actually talking with him, doing _anything_ more than acting like they were student and teacher.

 _Student and teacher._ That's what they were supposed to be, nothing else. And before their tangle of lips and tongues could deepen, Rhys was furrowing his brow and pulling away, albeit reluctantly.

“Wait, Jack...” he began slowly, watching the older man with worried eyes. “What're we going to do?”

“I'm gonna finish that damn prototype, this semester's gonna end, then we're gonna do whatever the hell we want to do,” Jack said, quite confidently at that.

As much as Rhys hoped things _would_ be that easy, he knew it wouldn't be. Not with someone like Tassiter pulling the strings right now.

“But that's _not_ fair to you,” Rhys insisted as he shook his head. “How the hell does he expect to take the credit for this one if it was originally your prototype? Won't that, _I dunno–_ cause some suspicion on Hyperion's part?”

Jack scoffed, stepping back slightly, “Oh don't worry, the bastard's thought it all through. He made enough modifications to my original model that the higher ups won't give a _shit_ about who originally made it. Far as they're gonna be concerned, this is all his work if it succeeds.”

No matter how many times Rhys tried to go over this situation, there really seemed like there was no way out of it. Not if they wanted to keep their lives the way they were. Not if Jack wanted to keep teaching and not if Rhys wanted to graduate one day. He still had, at the very minimum, of two years left before he graduated. And if word got out that he and Jack were together, that would go right out the window.

It pissed off Rhys to no end and he wished there was something he could do, some way to get Tassiter off their backs while giving Jack the credit he deserved. Then a thought slowly dawned upon Rhys: why did Jack's original model malfunction and blow up in the first place? Rhys wanted to ask Jack if he might've known, but he didn't quite know how to really go about asking.

“Look, kiddo,” Jack finally started once more, snapping Rhys from his thoughts quite quickly. “I'm tired of all this shit and I just want to forget about it for a while. So how 'bout I give you a ride home and we can forget about it together.”

The sudden feeling of his stomach doing flips had Rhys momentarily stunned as he replayed Jack's words over in his mind, trying to form a proper response. It had only been two weeks since they'd been together, _properly_ together, but it felt like a lifetime.

How could Rhys even _think_ about saying no right now? That's just it. He couldn't. And he wouldn't.

“Sounds perfect,” Rhys agreed with a small but growing smile.

 


	22. My way or the highway

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack and Rhys finally get some time together but it's only a small distraction from the problems at hand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really so, SO sorry that updates really slowed down for this fic! We're just really getting into the meatiest bits of this fic and I find this kind of conflict needs to be done super right so it's gonna take longer on the updates. But! Ayyy finally another update.
> 
> And it's mainly filled with some good sin! I hope ya'll enjoy, thanks for all the support, kudos, and comments!

It was a rough landing that brought Rhys down against his bed, not even a moment passing before he felt the weight of the older man above him. His comforting form surrounding him, fingers of a strong hand making hurried and restless motions at his restricting jeans. A moan of not only pleasure but the heated moment found itself being stopped short as lips met lips, hard and wet and full of teeth that bit and teased.

Rhys only wished that all fingers running through Jack's hair had feeling, only his left arm getting such a privilege, but he gripped the dark locks tightly, pulling his boyfriend even closer against his form. Jack obliged with the close proximity, using his tongue to drag along Rhys' pearly white teeth before he was using his own to delve into that pink and wonderful bottom lip of the younger man.

“ _Ngh..!_ ” Rhys whimpered out through parted lips as Jack pulled back slightly, already the small loss of contact too much, but he was soon far more distracted with Jack's deft fingers slipping past the hem of his pants. “ _God_ , Jack, **please**.”

“ _Ohohoo_ , I can't even tell you how much I frickin' missed hearing that,” Jack purred huskily, a toothy grin dancing along his lips. As his fingers found the younger man's already hard cock, he gripped it firmly, thumb caressing and brushing over the slit as if he were taunting it to start leaking.

In response, Rhys could only writhe beneath the broader man, his hips lilting up into the touch, begging for more in tow with his words, “ _Fuck_ , please!”

Although it was in Jack's usual routine to try and make Rhys beg with his extended teasing, this time was so, **_so_ ** different. This was the first time they'd had their hands on each other, _properly_ , in over two weeks. The time for teasing was long said and done, this was a time for urgency, for need, for sating the distance between them. And it seemed that Jack knew that maybe even more than Rhys did.

“Since you asked _oh so nicely_ , princess,” Jack quipped, unbuttoning Rhys' pants and pulling them down, along with his boxers, in one swift motion. They soon littered the floor of Rhys' room, leaving his dick rigid and exposed and just begging to be satisfied by none other than Jack Lawrence.

Although Rhys was waiting and even _expected_ Jack to go straight back to stroking his length, he was quite (happily) mistaken once he felt a cool, wet finger prodding at his sensitive ring of flesh. A quick gasp filled his lungs as Jack was pressing it deeply within him, his legs automatically spreading to accommodate the penetration.

“So _nice_ and _tight_ , even better than I remember,” Jack remarked as Rhys finally opened his eyes, Jack still hovering over him and watching his face intently for each and every change.

“Ahh.. _Hahhh_..” Rhys breathed heavily as Jack began slipping his finger out and back within, his motions growing slicker and faster and harder with each moment that passed.

Just as Rhys began to grow accustomed to the feeling, Jack added another lubed finger, not hesitating before he was using his free hand to push up at Rhys' dark v-neck. Arching his back slightly off the bed, Rhys gave a low and whimpering moan as he sewed his eyes shut once more, Jack pumping his digits within him quite dutifully and at a steady rhythm.

The sensation of something hot and wet was smoothing over one achingly hard nipple before he realized Jack was taking the sensitive nub into his lips and sucking. Yet another mewling sound of pleasure released from Rhys' nose in a deep sigh, the contrasting hardness of Jack's teeth nipping against soft flesh causing Rhys to yelp in response.

Jack just chuckled before he added another finger deeply into Rhys, stretching him and reaping a moan from the younger man's lungs. “ _That's_ it, baby, **that's** what I wanna hear,” Jack encouraged in a low, velvety voice, delving all three fingers within up to his knuckles.

“J-Jack..!” Rhys growled, flesh and metal fingers alike grasping to the fabric of Jack's shirt in tight vices. “Just... _Please!_ ”

Through the haze of lust settled onto Rhys' mind, he was distantly aware of Jack sliding his fingers back out from his now slick hole, leaning back to begin undressing himself. Before the feeling of emptiness grew to be too unbearable, Jack was urging him, “C'mon, hands and knees.”

Too desperate and needy to argue, Rhys obliged, sitting up and removing his own shirt before he was settling onto his hands and knees. He felt completely exposed this way, legs spread and ass offered out to Jack, but it was a fact that made the whole situation that much more thrilling. He could feel his cock pulsate in excitement, precum dripping and staining his bedsheets.

Before long, Rhys was looking back behind himself to see Jack settled on his knees, looking as though he was working some lubrication onto his own covered member. Swallowing hard, Rhys took several deep breaths before he felt the head of Jack's dick beginning to prod at his entrance, pressing more and more until it finally slipped past.

“ _Ahh!_ ” Rhys cried out, pain and pleasure mixing deliciously as Jack continued to press deeper into him. Leaning down, Rhys pressed his mouth into the crook of his left elbow, deep and quick breaths entering and exiting his nose quite fervently. With eyes squeezed shut, it seemed to make Jack's penetration _that_ much more prominent, the feeling of his strong hands clasping tightly to his hips heightening it all.

“ _Ohh_ **_shit_** , that's good,” Jack sighed before he was repositioning his knees slightly, pulling himself out then driving right back in. He set a solid rhythm with his hips, by no means soft nor slow, his pace seemingly picking up not even moments later.

Swallowing roughly, Rhys chanced a glance back behind him to watch Jack with clouded and fuzzy eyes, a soft moan floating over his tongue before he was begging, “ _Harder_ , Jack. **Please**.”

Jack chuckled, “Gladly,” before he was shoving deeper and much harder thrusts against Rhys' ass, the slapping sound of skin meeting skin wafting between Rhys' shouts of grateful pleasure.

In an attempt to stifle himself, Rhys surrounded the flesh of his forearm with his lips, teeth digging into the skin there. Tighter and tighter his jaw became, no doubt that marks would be left in its wake in addition to the force of Jack's blunt nails at his hips. The sound of Jack's labored breath was interspersed with heavy and low moans that seemed to crawl up Rhys' spine in tingling and wonderful ways.

Taking a quick breath, Rhys used his mechanical hand to push himself back up, his flesh fingers swiftly moving to wrap around his own aching erection to begin pumping it in time with Jack's increasingly fast thrusts.

“ _A-ahh_ , Jack..! I'm _g-gonna-- cum!_ ”

“Yeah, _c'mon babe_ , cum! Cum and scream my name,” Jack huffed breathlessly, his movements hitching only a moment before they sped up even more.

It was hard to resist something like that. Not even a full ten seconds passed before Rhys could feel the wave of his orgasm crashing over him in heavy handfuls, a long and high groan of Jack's name seeping from his lungs as spurts of his hot seed escaped his swollen head and littered the bed beneath him.

Rhys fell into a deep haze that felt as though it lasted for hours within minutes, the next thing he knew was Jack crying out in pleasured crowing before he was finally coming to a halt, having reached his own orgasm. Slowly but surely, Jack pulled out from Rhys, flopping his body down onto the bed just as Rhys allowed his arms and legs to give out.

The two sat there, spent and breathing heavily, as they reveled in the after glow of their orgasms. As Rhys finally opened his eyes once more, he could see Jack was grinning quite widely, the small hint of a chuckle playing at his throat. It grew, Rhys unable to stop himself from joining in, his small laughter tired but fully content.

“Y'know, I'm really curious about something,” Rhys began slowly, his voice somewhat hoarse from all the moans. Carefully, Rhys began to push himself back up, crawling closer to the older man and hovering over him as he watched his scarred features studiously. “How'd an explosion cause, well...” Pausing, Rhys brought up his flesh hand, dragging his fingertips over the silvery skin. “ _This?_ ”

Just a fraction of Jack's smile faltered, but he just raised an eyebrow instead, “Piece of the _stupid_ metal broke off, landed smack dab on my face. Seared itself right on me like some sort of brand.” Jack paused, a scowl beginning to form as he looked off to the side away from Rhys. “Used to be a hell of a lot worse but that's not saying much. It's still an eyesore to look at.”

Did Jack _really_ think that? Jack Lawrence, the man with seemingly _all_ the confidence in the entire goddamn universe, thought his face was an _**eyesore** _ to look at? Rhys felt his eyebrows furrow before he was leaning closer and, with closed eyes, placed a kiss on Jack's left cheek where the scar began. Slowly, he pulled away before moving to press his encouraging lips against the other cheek then finally moving to plant a kiss on his forehead where the damaged skin peaked.

“I actually _like_ the scar, handsome,” Rhys murmured as he pulled away, smiling warmly at his boyfriend.

And Rhys could've sworn that right then, right there, Jack was properly flustered. But this was, of course, _Jack_. He didn't let it show for more than a fleeting moment before he was scoffing and laughing, “ _Holy shit_ , that was so cheesy.”

“Would it _kill you_ to appreciate when I'm trying to be romantic?” Rhys deadpanned, his lips pursing into a thin line as silence filled the air between them.

Before it grew too long and too uncomfortable, Jack was wrapping a single hand about the back of Rhys' neck, using the smallest amount of effort to pull Rhys down closer to him. With raised eyebrows, Rhys cautiously obliged, letting his elbows bend as he was brought into closer proximity. Rhys was about to open his mouth to question just what the hell his teacher was doing before he felt the softest brush of warm lips at his right shoulder where metal met flesh.

Rhys could feel his expression slowly molding into something that vaguely described surprise, uncertainty, and a flustered mess all rolled into one as he silently gasped. It was really hard to describe such a sensation. It was something entirely new to him.

“Yours ain't so bad either,” Jack muttered huskily against his skin, his breath rolling over his pale scars in hot waves that made Rhys shiver. When was the last time Jack had done something so, well... Affectionately intimate? Honestly, Rhys couldn't even recall a single second that had compared to this one moment in all the time that he'd known the older man.

Slowly, Rhys' lips were beginning to form a smile as he continued to bask in the little moment that had formed between the two. Taking a careful breath, he parted his lips to begin to speak, but a sudden sharp and digging pain at the junction of his neck and shoulder caused a sudden cry of protest to leave his mouth.

“ _Jack!_ ” Rhys complained as he realized Jack had decided to sink his teeth into his skin and begin to suck at it, Jack's resounding chuckles all too familiar. It was the kind of chuckles that Jack did when he _knew_ that he was being, without a doubt, an ass.

Finally, Jack let go as Rhys was able to push himself back from the inavding teeth, Jack still laughing even as Rhys brought up his metal hand to press against the blemished skin, “Is it just, _I dunno_ \-- **impossible** for you to be serious for five minutes?”

“Absolutely. I die a little on the inside for every five seconds of seriousness that passes,” Jack teased sarcastically. Although with his tone, it was hard to tell whether he was just being sarcastic or he actually meant it. Knowing Jack, it wouldn't be a surprise if he meant and believed that.

Nonetheless, Rhys just snorted as he rolled his eyes, pulling away from Jack and moving to his right before settling more firmly onto the bed. Pulling some covers over himself, he sat cross legged as Jack himself began to sit up and stretch before removing the condom and tossing it into the nearest trash bin.

While having sex with Jack for the first time in weeks was _definitely_ a welcome distraction and it took his mind off of things, Rhys could feel like everything was starting to seep back into his thoughts. The blackmailing of Tassiter, Jack's surprisingly self-sacrificial decision, and their entire _'forbidden'_ situation. They were all incredibly heavy things that weighed on him mercilessly once the distraction of sex was gone.

“There's _got_ to be something we can do about this,” Rhys finally began as Jack finished stretching, his fingers halting their carding through his unruly hair.

Sighing, Jack gave one final push into his hair, smoothing it to the side, “Kiddo, trust me, I've thought of everything. There's nothing we can do to change things.”

An unconscious pout began to form on Rhys' lips as he went silent, his eyes looking down at the bed, scanning the fabric in thought for several moments. An idea was floating carefully in and out of his mind, founded on the basis that if they couldn't get _out_ of the situation, then maybe the very least they could do would be to get _even_. Not even for Rhys' sake, but for Jack's.

Just as Rhys turned his attention back to Jack, the older man had already stood from the bed and was beginning to redress himself once more as Rhys spoke, “Can't you sabotage the prototype? Make it intentionally fail?”

Suddenly, Jack stopped with his shirt in his hands, furrowing his eyebrows in Rhys' direction, “Uh... Right, okay, little flaw in your plan there, cupcake. He'll know if I do anything to intentionally make it fail.”

“What made it fail the first time?”

Nothing but silence came in response to that question, Jack eyes even narrowing in Rhys' direction. It made Rhys think twice about what just came out of his mouth, realizing that _maybe_ that wasn't the best question to ask. Time to backtrack a little on that one.

“Sorry,” Rhys blurted suddenly, shaking his head. “I didn't mean for that to sound as, well... _Bad_ as it did. I'm just, y'know.. trying to come up with some sort of plan here.”

Jack slipped one arm into his shirt before the other followed suit, his reply snappy, “We've already _got_ a plan, Rhys. Mine! I'll finish his prototype, the semester will end, then everything will be all happy hunky dory. We'll even throw a party about it if you want.”

“I don't think that's the only way to do this,” Rhys responded with furrowed brows. “This isn't a _'your way or the highway'_ sort of situation.”

A heavy sigh mixed with a growl rumbled Jack's throat as he began to button up his shirt, “This is _exactly_ why I didn't want to tell you, I knew you'd be like this.”

Pursing his lips tightly, Rhys crossed his arms, ignoring the slight chill of his metal arm against his bare chest as he stared Jack down. He let the silence stew for a moment before he finally responded, “Yeah, okay, I'm just gonna chalk that one up to you being an asshole that didn't really mean it and try not to get offended at that. You can't let Tassiter just steal your work.”

“I can't just let him _ruin_ our lives either,” Jack muttered as he began rolling up the sleeves of his shirt. “A little stolen credit is a small price to pay here.”

Rhys scoffed as he shook his head, “ _A little?_ I think your definition of _'a little'_ is a bit skewed, _Mr. Lawrence._ ”

That somehow got a laugh out of Jack as he began to pull his boxers and pants on, “Hah! Good one, kiddo, but joke's on you, I'm not an English teacher. I deal with frickin' robots, not words and shit.”

Rhys couldn't help but allow a small hint of a smile to tug at the corner of his lips, “Fair enough, but...” Trailing off, the curve of Rhys' lips began to fall. “You never answered my question. About how it failed in the first place.”

Just as Rhys' smile had fallen, so had Jack's, being replaced with a solemn scowl, “I never answered it because... Ugh, look, _I don't know_ , alright? I couldn't find out afterwards either because what was left of it got thrown out before I could even get back from the hospital.”

“They threw it all away?”

Jack gave a halfhearted shrug, “Yeah. Apparently it was beyond ruined. It was a long time ago anyway. Now are you hungry, kiddo? Because I'm friggin' starving.”

Although Rhys' mind still lingered on it all, and although he had a small plan forming at the back of his mind, he pushed it aside for now. Sitting down and eating something with Jack sounded, well... Nice. _Very_ nice. So he just smiled, nodded, and began to get up from the bed.

“Yeah,” Rhys agreed, beginning to dress himself as well. “Let's get some food.”

 


	23. Hide and seek

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rhys finally gets the chance he was waiting for. But did he just ruin all chances with Jack in the process?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wowie, it's been quite a while, to which I apologize for that! As I've said before, updates from this point on will probably be slower since it's getting into the meat of the conflict, but updates will still come! We're probably just about five more chapters or so from the end of this fic and it's pretty bittersweet. But it's gonna be a great home stretch.
> 
> Thanks, as usual, for all the comments, kudos, and bookmarks!! I love you all lots!

Rhys had to play his cards right here. In fact, he was sure if he didn’t, there would be _no_ chance in hell he’d be able to figure out this whole mess with Tassiter. Jack had been **_severely_ ** tight lipped about the whole thing, seemingly so dead set on his own solution that he didn’t think there was any other way. Which, as far as Rhys was concerned (and _very concerned_ he was), it wasn’t even a solution to begin with, it was just giving up. And if he had to be honest, Rhys had expected better from Jack. Then again, he didn’t know Tassiter like Jack did.

Maybe there was some part of this whole thing he was missing.

Nonetheless, it was all walking on thin ice and avoiding the landmines all in one go. And that was a really difficult task. Especially with Jack. Lord knows the man wasn’t dumb nor was he very coddling, so if Rhys was going to do this right, he had to do it _absolutely_ right.

Starting with offering to babysit his daughter.

“C’mon, Jack, I love kids,” Rhys pleaded, possibly for the umpteenth time that day as they were driving down the road toward Jack's place. “And Angel likes me! I mean… She _does_ , right?”

Jack offered his right hand out, palm up as he shrugged that shoulder lazily, “Thaaaaat’s debatable. She just thinks your arm’s kickass. And _Jesus_ , please don’t say that first part ever again, makes ya sound like a creep.”

A visible pout slowly crawled its way onto Rhys’ lips in response, “So she thinks my arm’s cool, that’s part of the _me package_ , thank you very much.”

That got a snort out of Jack as he came to a halt at a stoplight, “Alright, kiddo, I’ll bite. Why so eager to babysit my daughter when I’ve got a perfectly good brother to do it for me?”

White teeth came over Rhys’ bottom lip as he chewed on it indecisively, not _entirely_ sure how to approach the wording here. _‘Because I want to snoop around in your home’_? _‘Because I need to figure out how to save your ass’_? While both _were_ the absolute truth, they wouldn’t do. Rhys hated doing this so entirely under Jack’s nose but there were a limited amount of options to be had here.

“Can’t I just do something nice for you?” Rhys finally settled, thinking it was a good enough answer as he crossed his arms over his chest. He studied his boyfriend carefully, hoping that maybe, _just maybe_ , that was good enough for him.

Jack just chuckled, “If you wanna do something nice for me, you can suck my--”

“ _Jack!!_ ” Rhys exclaimed, heat threatening to fight its way to his cheeks. Luckily he wasn’t as amused at the answer as Jack was so the blush was easier to fight. Jack just laughed even louder than before.

“ _What?!_ I’m being serious!” Jack chortled, the light finally turning green as he began driving forward once more. “That is really, _really_ nice. I mean, you’re good at it. Hey, look there, a compliment. You’re welcome.”

Rhys sighed, turning to look out the window at the passing buildings, “You’re not taking me seriously here.”

Only a beat of radio-filled silence passed before Jack was responding, “ _Ehhh_ , only mildly. But okay, okay, alright, you wanna babysit my daughter, cool. But there’s only one problem here: I don’t really need you to babysit her.”

Well that just threw his plans out the window. Just how was Rhys supposed to do any kind of digging? Hell, he’d barely just subtly gotten Jack to invite him over for dinner tonight at his place, so chances to go to his house were few and far between. For all Rhys knew this could be the last trip to Jack’s house in, well… Long enough for this entire situation to pass and for Tassiter to win.

From what Jack’s hinted at, they only had a couple weeks until Tassiter would be presenting the new prototype to Hyperion’s board members. And that didn’t leave a lot of room for dicking around. Rhys needed to figure out how exactly he was going to pull this off. _‘This’_ being, well… Sabotaging the prototype demonstration somehow. But it needed to be done so Jack wouldn’t get any of the blame for it. Which was going to be a _lot_ harder than Rhys could ever anticipate.

Nonetheless, Rhys shrugged halfheartedly, “Alright, but the offer’s there. In case you ever wanna go out and do… Something. And Timothy’s not around. Or… Yeah.”

Jack snorted, “Sure, cupcake. I’ll, uh… Keep that one in mind. If it makes ya feel any better, I know Angel wouldn’t be against it. _Y’know_ , cool robot arm and all.”

“Hah, yeah,” Rhys huffed a chuckle, a murmur following. “ _Right_.”

***

As they’d finally arrived at Jack’s place, the older man immediately went to cooking their dinner. Rhys, feeling it was only polite and a way to keep himself occupied, decided to join in on helping fix dinner. Of course, once Rhys _did_ join in, Angel found herself wanting to help too, to which Jack agreed but “only on the condition you go nowhere near the damn stove”.

It all felt so… Domestic. So incredibly mundane. Rhys was chopping peppers while Jack was stirring together a mix for cornbread-- well, technically it was Angel stirring, Jack just had too much of an itch to take the mixing spoon away from her every so often to mix it _‘better’_. Had Rhys taken notice, he would’ve felt the smile that was on his face the entire time, only the laughter that erupted when Angel would torment Jack at pushing her limits in the kitchen reminding him of how much he was enjoying himself right now.

Just how much he was enjoying being around Jack in such a domestic way. He’d never seen Jack in this sort of light, never even dared to think of Jack making his way around the kitchen. Laughing, smiling, joking. The only time he wasn’t smiling was when he was measuring something or making sure not to burn himself. And it dawned upon Rhys then:

_He loved this man._ He got to see a side of Jack that he never showed in the classroom. And it was something beyond anything Rhys could’ve ever expected. It only made this entire situation with Tassiter all the more vital to setting right in Rhys’ mind.

Just as the timer went off signaling that the casserole was finished cooking, Rhys felt an urge to show off. Not only for Angel, who would no doubt find what he was about to do so incredibly amazing, but also Jack.

“Wait,” Rhys started, stopping Jack as he began to slip on an oven mitt. “Let me get it.”

Without waiting for an answer or even permission, Rhys reached forward with his flesh hand, pulling the oven door open and stepping back slightly as the huge rush of hot air flew out. After a moment or two, he then moved his right arm forward, mechanical fingers wrapping about the pan within and grabbing it, pulling it out of the oven with zero effort.

With a grin, perhaps a somewhat _smug_ one at that, he turned to face both Jack and Angel, offering up the steaming hot platter of an entree, “No oven mitt needed! Cool, huh? Or should I say… **_Hot?_** ”

Immediately, Angel began to giggle and while _that_ was a satisfying enough of a reaction for Rhys, what really made it worth it was the look on Jack’s face. Lips pursed tightly, shoulders dropped, eyebrows furrowed; he looked beyond unamused. Rhys couldn’t help but laugh then, joining in with Angel’s giggles.

“ _Alrightalrightalrightalright_ , hah-hah-hah,” Jack groaned, slipping the oven mitt on before he snatched the food from Rhys’ mechanical grasp. “Very funny, hilarious, you’re a comedic genius. Angel, go wash up, you know the drill.”

A few tapering giggles were heard before the little girl was walking off, “Yes, daddy.”

Just as Angel left the kitchen, Rhys sided up to Jack as he was beginning to bring all the food together, plating what looked to be Angel’s plate first. Rhys had a lingering grin on his face, still utterly amused at Jack’s own lack of amusement.

“ _C’mon_ , I thought it was great,” Rhys said as he poked his flesh finger at Jack’s arm. “ _You_ thought it was funny too, don’t lie.”

That got a loud snort out of Jack, one that was clearly _very_ dubious, “Yeah, sure. Whatever you say, kiddo.”

With Angel no longer in the room, Rhys felt a sudden urge of affection roll over him, his mindset far too content to think otherwise as he moved behind Jack, wrapping his arms about the older man’s lower torso and resting his cheek on Jack’s upper back. Without even having to see Jack’s expression, he knew that he’d caught his teacher completely off guard. Jack’s body went slightly stiff as he was pulled closer to Rhys but slowly started to relax once he realized what Rhys was doing.

“Thanks for inviting me over for dinner,” Rhys muttered, eyes closed, smile on his face. He nuzzled his face into the soft fabric of Jack’s t-shirt as Jack began to chuckle.

“ _Woah_ there, what’s with the sudden hug?” Jack asked jokingly, obviously enjoying the contact by the sound of the smile on his face. “Little risky with Angel coming back any second, don’t’cha think, Rhysie?”

Humming, Rhys tightened his hug for just a moment before he snorted a small laugh, “Oh _please_ , you’ve done riskier things with me than this. Do I need to remind you of the library incident?”

“Okay, okay, _fair point_ ,” Jack conceded, amusement still clear in his words. “But if Angel comes back in here and sees you clinging to my back like some needy little kid, I am _not_ gonna explain that one.”

Alright, well Rhys could see what Jack was going for there and honestly, he was right. He was sure that neither of them were ready to explain their… _‘Situation’_ to Angel, of all people. So with a small feeling of defeat, Rhys pulled himself away from the older man, having done so just on time as Angel came bounding back into the kitchen.

“ _Daddy!_ ” Angel chimed, coming to a halt before him. Both Jack and Rhys turned to look at the young girl, curiosity in both their eyes. “When we’re done with dinner, could we _maybe_ have some of that ice cream you bought yesterday?”

“Ooh, you bought ice cream?” Rhys hummed before Jack could have a chance to respond, now genuinely excited about the prospect of having ice cream.

Jack snorted, finishing the piling of food onto the plate within his hands, “Yeah, we’ll see. _Maybe_. Definitely not if either of ya start begging for it, got that?”

Rhys smiled slyly, barely able to contain the chuckle as he said, “Sure thing, _daddy_.”

Rhys hadn’t anticipated the way Jack would react to that, but it was beyond worth it to say such a thing. Now Rhys couldn’t stop the laughter from spilling from his lips as Jack looked a mix between flustered and surprised before he was rolling his eyes and handing the plate to Angel.   
  


***

It hadn’t occurred to Rhys until they were nearing the end of the meal, all their plates having been mostly cleared, that Jack’s twin brother was nowhere to be seen. And it only occurred to him because of the empty chair that sat across from him at the table which had been filled with his presence the last time he was here.

Setting his fork down onto his empty plate, Rhys turned his attention over to Jack as he asked curiously, “Where’s your brother, by the way? I would’ve thought he’d be here.”

“Oh,” Jack began, chewing the rest of the food in his mouth before swallowing, giving a halfhearted shrug as he did so. “Long story short, his job. Had to deal with some uh-- _issues_.”

Furrowing his eyebrows, Rhys inquired further, “What does he do exactly?”

Jack pushed his plate away as he answered, “He’s a data miner, basically. There was apparently some sorta security breach at his firm so they’ve gotta rework some coding or something. He’s a great little codemonkey so I’m sure he’ll get it sorted out.”

“Uncle Timmy’s really, _really_ smart,” Angel added quite proudly. “He always knows all the answers to my science and math homework.”

There was no stopping the smile from growing on Rhys’ face, Angel seemingly so incredibly proud of her uncle. It must’ve been pretty cool to have an uncle like Timothy. From what little conversations the two have had, he seemed like a really genuinely great guy. As Jack said, he was as different as night from day comparing to Jack, but it was a _good_ different.

“Hey, don’t _I_ help with your homework too?” Jack teased as he stood, beginning to gather up the dishes to be washed. “Where’s _my_ praise, huh?”

Angel laughed a bit, “Okay, you’re smart too, daddy. You’re twins so when I say uncle Timmy is smart, I mean you too!”

“Darn right you do,” Jack affirmed with a satisfied huff of a chuckle.

Pausing a moment, Jack moved over to the kitchen sink, emptying the dishes into it and beginning to wash them. As last time, Rhys felt he should attempt to help in some way, gathering the last of the dishes and bringing them over to the sink.

“Oh yeah, Angel,” Jack began turning to look behind him somewhat. “Go pick out a movie and get it started, remember?”

“ _Oh!_ Right!” Angel peeped, scooting her chair back before bounding out of it and heading out of the kitchen.

With slight confusion in his furrowing eyebrows, Rhys placed the dirty dishes on the counter beside the sink, “Movie?”

“I thought I mentioned that tonight’s movie night?” Jack asked, his own confusion matching Rhys’.

Now that Rhys thought about it, Jack _hadn’t_ mentioned anything about a movie night. He’d only mentioned dinner and that was basically the whole goal of tonight. Well, other than trying to find an excuse to get into Jack’s house in the most inconspicuous way possible to solve their problem.

Rhys raised his eyebrows slightly as he shook his head, “Oh, no, you didn’t-- actually. But that’s cool, I wouldn’t mind sticking around and watching a movie with you guys. That is, I mean-- _if_ you want me to?”

A smile and expression that made Jack’s words seem as if it were a given greeted Rhys then, “Of course, _dum dum_. What, think I’d just invite you for dinner and kick ya out? Nah, I’m not _that_ mean.”

Rhys settled on a more content and warm smile as he chuckled lightly, leaning against the counter top, “ _Welllllllllllll_ … Debatable.”

Pulling his hands away from the running water, Jack moved to flick some of the water from his fingers onto Rhys, to which Rhys recoiled immediately in protest, “ _Hey--!_ ”

Before Rhys could complain any further, Jack’s lips were suddenly upon Rhys’, melding onto them softly and wholly. It took the younger man just a moment before he was pressing into the kiss, the contact much more welcome than he had anticipated and certainly much more out of the blue than Rhys could’ve ever predicted. But he wasn’t complaining. Oh, he _definitely_ wasn’t complaining.

All too soon, however, Jack was pulling away, grinning that white and toothy and _cocky_ as all get out grin, “Wanna take that back? Go on, _I’m waiting._ ”

A playful pout found its way onto Rhys’ face before he was reaching up to wipe some of the water from his face, “You flick water on me then kiss me. I’m getting a _lot_ of mixed signals here. Not sure I can actually take that back.”

Jack rolled his eyes with a small snort before he was returning to the dishes before him, “Well you’re about to get a lot _more_ mixed signals if ya don’t start drying these dishes.”

Despite the lingering pout, Rhys smiled, shaking his head as he reached over to grab the nearby dishtowel to start drying just as Jack said, “Alright, _definitely_ still debatable. Not making it much easier, either.”

“Ain’t gonna be debatable after I get you face down in my bed, sweetheart.”

Immediately, Rhys froze, wet plate in hand as he could just **feel** his face searing red from such a comment. He swallowed a bit roughly, forcing his hands to resume their task as he tried to forget Jack ever said that. But it was an incredibly difficult task when the silence was followed by quite the hearty laughter from the older man.

“ _Hah_ ,” Jack sighed, that cocky grin still lingering on his lips. Rhys just wanted to kiss it right off. “It’s _way_ too easy to turn you into a tomato, y’know.”

“Shut up,” Rhys muttered, focusing solely on the dishes before him. That only got Jack to laugh yet again.

***

The movie wasn’t a bad one, as far as Rhys was concerned. It was some animated movie. Maybe it was Disney, Rhys wasn’t entirely sure. He never was much of one for kids movies. It was more about the scifi and fantasy than anything else for him. But with all things considered, it wasn’t too grueling of a thing to watch.

At least Angel seemed to be content with watching it. She’d decided to square herself on the couch right between Rhys and Jack, laughing at a few bits here and commenting on other bits there. It seemed Jack was the more talkative out of the two, asking why anything even made sense in the movie. To which Angel papped her father and gave him a pretty standard answer for a child: “just because, daddy”.

Eventually, however, Rhys noticed that Angel had gone even more quiet than she ever had in the past hour. Yet he thought nothing much of it until he felt a small tap on his right knee, his eyebrows raising as he looked over to see Jack pointing out Angel between them.

_Ah_. That would be the reason why. Apparently the little girl had fallen asleep, her head slowly moving ever closer to Rhys’ metallic shoulder in her slumber. Rhys couldn’t help the smile that tugged at his lips; she looked so peaceful, so content. Almost reminded Rhys a lot of himself. He used to always fall asleep to movies when he was a kid. Guess maybe it was a more of a common running theme in children.

Slowly and carefully as not to wake his daughter, Jack was standing up from the couch, “Looks like she’s out for the night. Movie night also happens to be codename for: put Angel to sleep early.”

Rhys allowed a small seep of laughter to flit from his nose as he watched Jack, his own voice lowering, “She _always_ fall asleep to movies?”

Jack opened his mouth to respond, but the sudden sound of his phone going off stopped him short. He was quick to reach into his pocket, silencing the phone with a swift answer, “Yeah, _what?_ ”

Furrowing his eyebrows, Rhys watched as the older man’s face went from a blank slate into a slowly but surely unamused and even _annoyed_ face as the caller on the line spoke. It didn’t look like Jack was too happy with whatever he’d been told, his features now soured into something very perturbed.

“And you _can’t_ get a ride from _**anyone** _ else?” Jack asked with a sigh, rubbing his fingers over his eyes as he shifted his weight from one leg to the other. He paused a moment as he listened to the caller before shaking his head, “Yeah, yeah, _okay_ , I’ll be there soon as I can. Just don’t do anything stupid.”

Without waiting for a response, Jack pulled the phone from his ear, ending the call as he did so. As he pocketed his phone once more, Jack turned his attention to his student, explaining, “Tim’s car won’t start or some shit, so I gotta go pick him up from work. Which is… _All_ the way… On the other side of town.”

Pausing, Jack moved over to the coffee table before the couch, reaching down to grab his keys, “Welp, Rhysie, looks like ya got what you wanted. Mind watchin’ Angel for me while I’m gone?”

With widening eyes, Rhys perked his eyebrows up slightly. He hadn’t expected this. In fact, he’d all but thrown away those plans for the night. He was accepting that he wouldn’t get the chance he was looking for tonight. Maybe another night, sure, but _tonight?_ He wasn’t sure he was mentally prepared in any way after he’d written it off, but he wasn’t about to throw away this small chance.

Rhys didn’t stop the smile from playing at his lips as he nodded, “Oh, yeah, of course! Don’t have anything else going on anyway.”

“Good,” Jack affirmed as he stepped closer. “She’s probably out for the night anyway. Usually is.”

Rhys felt his smile grow even more as Jack leaned in, pressing his lips firmly against the younger’s in a simple but sweet kiss. It was a kiss that felt even sweeter now that Rhys knew he could be another step closer to fixing their situation, one step closer to making a moment like this one without the fear of exposure or the feeling of a forbidden relationship looming over their shoulders.

So Rhys relished it, allowed his flesh hand to come up and curl his fingers about the back of Jack’s neck, tempting his teacher even closer. Jack allowed the movement, suckling on Rhys’ bottom lip in a hungry fashion that betrayed his hurry to leave. But it couldn’t last.

Any longer, and Rhys was nearly a hundred percent certain that he wouldn’t have let Jack leave until he was fully done with the older man. Unfortunately, Jack had pulled away, albeit clearly reluctant in his motion.

“ _I’ll be back_ ,” Jack whispered before he was leaning in once more to leave just a peck at Rhys lips. And with that, he was fully out of Rhys’ reach, moving over to the door before opening and closing it quietly.

Left with nothing but the doofiest smile on his face and Angel now leaning onto his robotic arm for support, Rhys couldn’t be happier than he was at that moment to have Jack as he did. It only made him all the more eager to begin searching through Jack’s house for just what he needed.

Gently and with the utmost care, he was moving to pry Angel from his side, laying her onto the side opposite of him where a supportive pillow lay. Once he was sure she’d settled into the new position, thankfully still soundly sleeping, he was standing from the couch cautiously.

Still asleep. And he prayed that she would stay that way long enough for Rhys to do what he needed to do. With that, he made his way upstairs, mindful not to make any excess noise above the still-playing movie.

Rhys had actually never been upstairs in this house before, so it was a _bit_ of a guessing game trying to find just where he needed to go. Obviously, he wanted to aim either for Jack’s room or perhaps an office room. He had, _surprisingly_ , very little idea where Jack actually did any of his work, so that didn’t make things any easier. Suppose that he and Jack never talked much about the project as it was, so maybe it wasn’t so surprising that he knew next to nothing on where to go.

Nonetheless, he found Jack’s bedroom; a surprisingly tidy and organized room. On the wall opposite his large (and quite truthfully comfortable-looking) bed, was a good sized desk with a desktop computer and several manila envelopes stacked among other loose leaf papers.

Rhys went to work, looking through all of the papers only to find that most of the papers were of school-related things. Which, honestly, made sense. Of _course_ Jack would make his class the top priority in his life and that would be what surrounded his computer desk. This must’ve been where he graded everything and probably also the very computer that Jack opened the email containing Rhys’ accidental selfie email. _Yikes_. Didn’t want to think too much about **_that_ ** embarrassment.

It seemed there was nothing to be found about the prototype, however. Rhys could feel his disappointment growing, but he had to remind himself that there was still time to search. Jack had said that he had to pick up Tim from the other side of town, so he definitely still had time. He had, maybe, a good fifteen minutes. So he reassured himself he’d find at least _something_ in time.

Moving over to a dresser, Rhys began looking through the many drawers. Clothes, clothes, and _more_ clothes. Although, there was _one_ thing in particular that Rhys found and had absolutely not expected to find. It was a pair of _his own boxers._ He knew they were his exact, plaid boxers too because of the _very_ recognizable hole in the left leg.

Oh, he **_knew_ ** that he woke up one time after having sex and couldn’t find those pair of boxers. He absolutely knew they'd gone missing but thought nothing much of it after a while. He couldn’t believe Jack took them, that _ass_. Okay, scratch that, he could absolutely believe that he stole his underwear.

Rolling his eyes, Rhys decided to just leave them, nothing much of the sort he could do if he wanted to remain undetected throughout this endeavor. Although he couldn’t help but smile slightly to himself, finding it just as amusing as he found it annoying. He had to wonder if Jack was just _waiting_ for Rhys to finally ask about the missing pair of boxers. He’d have to keep this little bit of information in mind for any kind of future reference.

But much as he searched, there was nothing to be found in the dresser. Next was under the bed, in the nightstand, before he finally came to the closet and realized there was nothing on the prototype to be found in here. Not even a single mention of it _anywhere_. He hadn’t seen any office room either so there was only one other possible place it could be: the garage.

It was the last place that Rhys could even think of and God did he hope he was right. He _needed_ to be right, otherwise he just didn’t know what he could do and this entire endeavor would've been pointless.

As Rhys made his way back downstairs, the one thing he didn’t want to happen at that moment was happening: Angel was waking up. Or stirring at the very least. He could only hope that she was just moving about in her sleep, but of course, that would be far too easy. She was _definitely_ waking up, her bleary eyes blinking as she began to look around, trying to get her grounding after falling asleep.

Sighing suddenly to himself, Rhys put on a smile for the little girl before he stepped over to her, “ _Hey_ , good morning there.”

“Oh…” Angel began, sounding a mix of groggy and confused. “Is it morning already?”

Rhys just laughed carefully as he stopped before the couch, shaking his head as he did so, “No, not _actually_ morning. Just something to say when someone wakes up, that’s all.”

“Oh,” came Angel’s much more understanding response. She paused, looking about her for a moment before returning her deep blue eyes to Rhys. “Where’s daddy?”

Raising his eyebrows, Rhys jabbed his thumb in the direction of the front door, “He went out to go pick up your Uncle Timmy. Don’t worry, he’ll be back soon.”

_Far too soon._ Rhys needed more time and having to actually watch over Angel felt more like wasting that precious time he needed. He wasn’t sure he could make up a good enough excuse to go into the garage without Angel getting, well… _Suspicious_. He didn’t need her telling Jack later on what he was doing.

But then an idea hit Rhys. And it surely had to work perfectly.

The smile from once before was slowly making its way back onto his face in full force as he leaned down, hands supporting himself on his knees, “Since you’re up now, wanna play some hide and seek?”

Almost immediately, Angel’s face lit up with a smile as she swung her legs off the edge of the couch, bounding up as she nodded, “ _Yeah!_ But... “

“ _But?_ ” Rhys asked curiously, eyebrow raising slightly.

“But you can’t use your arm to cheat, can you?”

Rhys snorted a small bit of laughter, “No! It just does arm stuff. How do you think I’d use my arm to cheat, huh?”

Angel just shrugged, smiling widely once more, “Just checking! Okay, I’ll hide, **_you_ ** count! And _no_ peeking!”

Once more, Rhys laughed as he covered both his eyes and began, “Okay, _okay_ , no peeking! I’ll count to twenty. One, two, three…”

Almost immediately, Rhys could hear the pitter patter of Angel’s feet bounding as quietly as she could about the living room.

“Eight, nine, ten, eleven…”

Soon enough they were running upstairs, something that was definitely pleasing for Rhys. If she was upstairs, it made it all the better for him to take his time looking around downstairs before going upstairs to find her. But he knew he still had to be quick about it.

“Eighteen, nineteen, _twenty!_ Ready or not, _here I come!_ ”

Rhys couldn’t move fast enough towards the garage, knowing that this _had_ to be the place he was looking for. That everything he needed to know was in here. And Rhys was ecstatic to see he was right.

As he rushed over to the long table against one of the walls, there were multiple papers strewn about, blueprints, notes, and everything about the prototype. Reaching into his pocket, Rhys immediately pulled out his phone, going to work at snapping picture after picture of all the notes and blueprints. Hell, Jack even had the blueprint of the older model and the newer one, which was perfect. He’d have to go over everything much later when he was back home in greater detail.

Now Rhys had to wonder… Where was the prototype _itself?_ But it seemed the answer was staring him right in the face the entire time. There, just next to all the papers, was a white sheet covering some kind of object. With a growing excitement, Rhys pulled back the sheet, revealing what looked to be an interesting sort of computer tower with all its innards of wirings and motherboards sticking out.

Bringing his phone back up, he began taking more pictures, trying to get every angle he could of the device for later studying. He’d need as much of it as he possibly could.

Smiling to himself, he considered this entire ordeal a success. Not only had he gotten to spend a nice night with Jack (a night that he suspected was _far_ from over with how Jack had been talking), he’d been able to acquire all the information he needed to proceed figuring out the next step in this entire mess.

Rhys knew that if Jack ever found out he’d done this behind his back, he wouldn’t _exactly_ be too happy. But then again, Jack had tried to do this all behind his back as it was. So if anything, Rhys was getting even. Just like he planned to get even with Tassiter.

Just as he finished taking the last picture, the sudden and brash sound of the garage door whirring to life made him jump. It was loud and clanging as he shoved the phone back into his pocket before he was scrambling to put the sheet back over the prototype and all the papers back where he found them.

But it was too late, the sound of the car driving within and coming to a halt was evidence enough of that. He knew, without even having to turn around, that that was Jack. He’d taken too long going over everything, it had been well over fifteen minutes. And to confirm just how _fucked_ he was, Jack’s voice was piercing the air moments after the car went silent.

“Rhys? The **_hell_ ** are you doing?”

**Author's Note:**

> Come follow me on Tumblr at http://gemodawn.tumblr.com for what will be eventual art of this AU.


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